


First in, Last out

by Fireteam_Russian_Roulette



Series: Fireteam Misfortune [1]
Category: Destiny (Video Games)
Genre: F/F, Gen, Hive (Destiny) - Freeform, Morbid
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-02
Updated: 2021-02-19
Packaged: 2021-03-09 18:54:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 99,827
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27911080
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fireteam_Russian_Roulette/pseuds/Fireteam_Russian_Roulette
Summary: It's not unusual for guardians to die, even the strongest lights can be snuffed out. When Guardians are lost on missions, its always a tragedy but it's unusual for older guardians to fall, when it happens its almost always a titan taking the fall for the others around them. A doomed mission on the moon before the war of crota led to the loss of two titans.
Relationships: Elsie/Skye
Series: Fireteam Misfortune [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2113659





	1. Shadow's of the Past

**Author's Note:**

> This Features another timeline and i thought it would be Cleaner to separate and rename my girls so talking about them is easier.  
> ~elsie becomes anastasiya, anya for short.  
> ~Iskra, Russian for spark, Pronounced Sparks by most people out of habit.  
> ~skye becomes Marie  
> ~Esperer, French for Hope. Named hope by anyone who doesn't speak french, for the same reason as Iskra is pronounced as sparks.  
> ~Lizabeta becomes yelizaveta, Veta for short.  
> ~Pyli, beth's reclusive ghost. Russian for dust, Also pronounced dust by Non-russian speakers.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marie walks an old path with a disturbingly new end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story centers on a universe that ends poorly for Anya, splitting off at the time of crota in game lore. While it features the same fireteam russian roulette, they walk a different path, becoming different people and going on different journey's. Marie and Anya are the main characters though. Now edited and partially Re-written in places.

The scene was ominously familiar. the only light around them was provided by the green glowing powers of hive creations and the bright light's of the ghosts beside them. The guardians creeped through the familiar depths of the moon together. The air was tense as dust and gunk squished beneath their feet but for now, it was fine. The vanguard had sent six guardians, a whole raid party to the moon, it was overkill just to be safe. It was always scary to work in known hive locations and this was no different, however there was a reason this place was familiar. One warlock had seen this place before, many times in fact and it always ended the same, a wounded titan straightening up proudly. she uttered the words, "first in, last out" before turning and sprinting back into the dark depths of the moon. the words might have been directed to herself however they came over the remaining four warlocks comms clearly, it was the last thing they would ever hear from that nameless titan.

The peace of a darkened morning was broken as Marie woke up with a desperate gasp in her bed as she was torn from her dreams. The warlock dragged herself to sit up tearfully up as she always did after that dream, her bed felt like a prison, her blankets suffocating her as if she was still there in the depths of the moon, trapped in the hellish place it was. It was a memory that never left her, torturing her sleepless nights and fueling her guilt for surviving. The warlocks ghost activated beside her, a graceful almost flowery shell with a beautiful translucent starry surface that glowed like the night sky itself. Hope shifted to hover above the bedside table and flexed her shell before moving over to nudge her guardians cheek gently, “good morning...” she greeted quietly.

Marie took a long moment to catch her breath with a sniffle but looked to the ghost appreciatively as she tried to focus her thoughts, “morning Esperer” she mumbled in reply. There was only so much a ghost could do to support their guardians since they didn't have bodies but the little gesture helped a little as Marie swallowed hard, her grief hung off her heavily. Marie could never sleep after that dream and her ghost knew it.

The starry ghost gazed at her with helpless concern, settling in her lap with a gentle sigh. “Do you want to go for a walk today?” She offered weakly. While Hope, or her french name, Esperer knew how hopeless it would be to ask the warlock to just forget about the dream, she tried to change the subject in the hopes that this time she could help.

The warlock sat silently for a moment before nodding vaguely, her thoughts occupied. “Maybe I’ve been home too much lately... I need to get out of my head” she replied quietly before sweeping her blankets aside to get up with a stiff stretch, being careful of the ghost of course who was trying to cheer her up. “I’m sorry” she apologised weakly “I don’t mean to worry...”.

Hope shook her head “it’s ok, I just wish I could help...” she admitted “I’ll be ready when you are” she added before nudging her cheek supportively “maybe we could go for a flight?” She offered.

Marie sighed and returned a small smile “perhaps we will, there’s a few thoughts I’ve been meaning to chase down anyway if your interested”. She brought her hands up to catch the ghost and pressed a loving kiss on her shell before letting her go.

“Of course!” Hope replied, lighting up a little “I’m always interested in new thoughts!”.

Marie chuckled and nodded, “so be it then, I’ll get ready” she mused before standing and settling into her morning routine. She started with a long shower, rinsing the tears from her eyes and freshening up. Today she took the time to put her armour on manually, wrapping herself up with care, heavy with thought as she occasionally mumbled a random thought here and there as the sleep was pushed away. She settled into tea with a side of toast and jam for breakfast before finally gathering her things and escaping her darkened house. She always woke early on mornings like this and today was no exception as the street lights were only just starting to move into morning light, still giving off the feeling of early morning darkness.

Marie disliked such early morning normally, enjoying any opportunity to sleep in but when her thoughts spun endlessly through her mind, she couldn’t sleep no matter the hour so she quietly walked to the hangar to retrieve her iron banner ship from storage.

“So, what thoughts are we chasing today?” Hope asked with interest.

“Well...” Marie sighed thoughtfully, “to be honest, I’d like to go to the moon... and I know, I just had that dream, but maybe it’s time to confront it.... it was years ago right? Surely I shouldn’t still be bothered by this....”. She looked to hope a little awkwardly, “so... I was thinking, it’s time to return to the moon... I’m curious if there’s anything still there...” she admitted.

Hope looked unsure at the idea, “you want to go by yourself?” She asked.

“I’m older, more experienced, I’m sure I can handle it now” Marie assured “plus, it’s not like I’m going to go that deep either... that would be stupid alone” she chuckled, “no, I was just thinking the moon surface”.

Hope nodded and seemed slightly less worried “well ok, but we should still take care” she sighed.

“Of course” Marie nodded and smiled.

The sun was just starting to rise when Marie took off from the tower and for a moment, she appreciated the veiw of the sun kissed horizon however she directed her ship up towards the faint white circle in the sky, what remained of the night before.

Marie had avoided the moon since the event, she tried not to think about it because she felt guilty and wondered if there was anything she could possibly had done. She had been part of a research party with two guards, one of them had been lost early while the other barely got everyone out. The two titans had both perished and the last known sighting of either was a titan by the name captain going back into the darkness to retrieve her fallen Companion. Her signal was lost with nothing but a weak sos before that too was lost to the depths. Marie had become relatively friendly with the titan before she’d passed so she mourned the loss for a while before finally accepting that it was too late, however there was a part of her that wondered if she could or should have done more. She didn't remeber muh of the titan anymore though.

For a long time, the mere thought of returning to the moon gave the warlock anxiety, attempting to do so gave a deep fear induced panic attack so she had avoided the action. Today however she was determined to get through it for good. She knew there would be nothing left, but she knew she would have to face her fears one day so despite the heavy dread settling in her chest, tears welling up in her eyes and difficulty breathing, she forced herself to keep climbing to the gently illuminated moon.

Hope watched on in concerned silence knowing there wasn’t much she could do if Marie had truly talked herself into this plan of hers. They came in to circle the landing zone for a few minutes as the warlok quietly talked herself into landing and took a deep breath before breaking the seal in her ship to leave the safety of the metal shell.

Despite the time since her last visit, the crunch of moon dust under her feet and the small clouds that floated around her steps was familar, even the more bouncy nature of the moon was familiar as she shook herself off, arming her weapon and took off in an almost effortless jog towards the barren landscape.

Once they reached the empty left over buildings of the moon base, Hope finally spoke up. “I’m picking up fallen on the radar... I guess things don’t change that much” she sighed “how are you feeling?”.

Marie stopped a little breathlessly, “uh... ok... I think...”, she sounded uncertain though. “I’ve been thinking... do you know where we were working? Not under the surface, but on the top” she quickly corrected.

Hope hesitated before answering, “uh, yeah... here at archers line... I’ll see if it’s still active”. After a brief pause she put up the directions “just be careful, I’ve heard fallen like to hide out there” she sighed.

She nodded and took off, taking care of the fallen in her way. Other guardians might be more efficient but Marie took her time to make sure she didn’t get into trouble. When they finally reached the large dust filled building and vacated it forcefully, Marie slowed to a solemn walk as she approached the main computer system. There had been four warlocks but she distinctly remembered where the titans had stood watching over them carefully. She felt very alone all of a sudden and teared up briefly before focusing on the main console to see if it still worked.

It took a bit of cleaning and tinkering but surprisingly the systems still worked mostly. Some servers were ruined, others had simply given out but she could find old data that she took some time to read through. She paused however on reaslising the last use of this console wasn’t nearly as long ago as it should have been, the accident was four years ago but this stated activity only two years ago, in fact the activity was registered to a ghost specifically.

After some careful hacking, Marie discovered that a ghost called Iskra had managed to activate the sensors but it was then that a loud crumbling sounded before the ground rocked beneath her feet. She was barely able to stay on her feet but after a moment the rumbling stopped leaving the warlok frozen, “what the hell was that?” She whispered weakly.

“Let me see those sensors.... if they still work...” Hope muttered before pausing as she registered the information, “we should probably go, oh my traveller, we should go. The moon is cracking....” she urged with horror.

Marie straightened up with shock, that wasn't a good sign. “cracking?! Why?” She asked hurriedly as she started to pack up her stuff.

“If I was to guess... maybe the tunneling through the moon?” Hope replied before pausing, “wait, what is that?” she muttered to herself. After a moment, she then spoke to Marie, “I think there’s someone here...”.

Marie looked up at that with confusion, “what? There was no ship in the landing zone” she replied. as the years had passed, the old LZ was replaced by a new one that was regarded as safer and much further away from any threats. The old LZ was defunct so there should not have been anyone there.

“No no, not ours, the old one” Hope Clarified. She sounded unsettled, “let’s check it out, either way we need to tell them to at least move their ship if not leave, It's protocol”.

Marie nodded and started hurrying out of the the building. dust was still settling slowly as she emerged and she could start to see cracks appearing on the ground with light bleeding out. Marie ignored it knowing she wouldn’t be here long once she spoke to the mystery guardian. The old landing zone was down at the bottom of the hill leading up to archers line and as she reached a cliff like portion of the area, the warlock stopped. The ship itself was on the ground on an angle and covered with moon dust, almost half buried on the edge of the LZ, It looked forgotten.

“How long did you say this shop was here for?” Marie whispered.

“I-... I thought... I don’t know...” Hope replied, “be careful... maybe you don’t have to look..” she whimpered quietly, she feared what they would find.

Marie felt torn, she was almost afraid of what she would find. The ship seemed to be more of a cargo ship, bulkier in nature, but it was definitely a guardian ship and there seemed to be a faint decorative pattern on it but the dust has obscured it. It was clear by the fact it was on the ground rather than floating gracefully above that something was wrong, The dust just served to further the point.

Marie swallowed hard before shaking her head, “if there’s someone connected to this ship, then maybe we can message them... I have to at least look” she whispered before slowly walking down the sloping road towards the edge. After first checking the stability of the ship, it seemed as though the moving ground had perhaps set off one of the ships emergency systems however maybe they weren’t working properly because it was barely alive. As Skye carefully pulled out a cloth to sweep away the dust, a dull white almost grey background was revealed with a dull red almost pink titans mark emblazoned on the top and Skye teared up stepping back. “this has to be a sick joke, they wouldn’t have left this here if... would they?” She asked weakly.

“There’s no way it belongs to one of them... surely they wouldn’t have left this here...” hope assured, though she didn’t sound certain either.

It took a moment for Marie to gather up the will to approach the ship once more and she continued trying to find the hatch that led inside, it was going to hopeless if it was underneath the ship but she got lucky, finding it near the back of the ship. She swallowed hard as she hacked into the ship to unlock the hatch with a quiet hiss. With another deep breath, she pried open the cockpit and a burst of air escaped quickly upsetting the dust around her. Marie was almost expecting someone to climb out and go mad at her, in some way she prayed someone would but after a moment, nothing but darkness and blinking lights met her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this universe, Marie and Anya had met and worked together before but on few missions. The mission that begins this story is a preliminary exploration mission, the purpose of which to discover just what the hive were up to on the moon. They were overwhelmed and ultimately the strike was a failure leading to the loss of two titan class guardians and their light. 
> 
> The Vanguard were unable to retrieve their bodies as the onset of Crota's war begun and they were ultimately forgotten and instead memorialized with an empty grave each in the tower morgues. This unfortunately reflected an event similar to the same that left Eris lightless however due to the titan's final herorics, the four warlocks with them were saved from a shared fate leading to the information which helped inform the vanguard in matters of Eris and Crota's revival.


	2. A Rescue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marie might be able to save a life, if the moon doesn't claim her first.

As the two faced the darkness and blinking lights, an ominous weight settled in the warlocks stomach. “Maybe we should just....” Hope trailed off, her words didn’t need to be said.

Marie fought with her fear before shaking her head tearfully, “I’ve come this far...” she whispered. “light it up for me...” she continued as she Carefully shifted to climb on the ship. After once more judging its stability she climbed into the darkness fearfully, a hand cannon in her hands. Hope's Flashlight lit up the darkness to show the contents of the ship and Marie immediately let out a fearful squeak seeing someone in the cockpit limp. They didn’t move however and she took another deep breath, “ok, we need to at least report this...” she whimpered weakly. Looking around the cabin was untouched and dusty for the most part, there was a shotgun on the floor among what must have been a mark or something that was now in a pile of dust, the blinking lights flashed weakly, as if barely alive. against a wall and on the floor, there was an odd growth that somewhat resembled hive gunk but it was solid unlike the jelly like filth of living hive gunk. 

Marie gently approached the cockpit, still afraid the figure might suddenly turn around and jump scare her but it didn’t. As she reached its side, It was clear whoever this was had been dead a long time, it was probably a she judging by the shape of her armour and she was thoroughly bloodied and wounded as some parts of her armour had been cut down to what was now skeletal remains. Hope floated around carefully to scan the armour and she looked to skye with horror, “this titan, she was lost all those years ago... her name was dante, part of our fireteam... but how?” she whispered.

Marie teared up and now she mentioned it, the armour did look familiar however this titan had died first. “There’s no way should be here... we were forced to leave...” she swallowed hard “you don’t think captain... survived?” she trailed off to a horrified whisper, “who’s ship is this?”.

Hope turned to scan the ship instead and after a moment of serching the registration, she returned to Marie. “it belongs to a titan named captain, but that’s impossible...” she admitted as she looked around with mixed feelings. “ieskra the ghost, it makes sense... she is indicated to be her ghost, but that is impossible because they were both lost and that was two years ago when she was supposed to have used the sensors”.

Marie shook her head, “no, they wouldn’t have left her here, surely... what does that mean?”. She pulled herself out of the ship in horror, the mere thought of the titan and her ghost being out there somewhere still, “is there anything left? A signal, a ghost?!” She asked weakly.

Hope looked unsure before looking into the ships systems once more, digging deeper to find any evidence of either of their survival. In the data of the cockpit, there was an odd dead zone, a pocket of protected data that seemed to be disconnected almost from the ship, only one line of data led to it and it was there that she found the deactivated sleeping ghost named Iskra. Hope was careful when she pulled out the ghost's data and noted one other faint signal that the system kept track of and it was supposed to be the armour signal connected to what was likely left of her guardian Captain. “there’s two signals, one of them is in the ship” Hope begun as she returned to Marie and set the ghost in her hands, "this is Captains Ghost, ieskra and-".

As the ghost finished Transmat, Hope was cut off as for just a moment it remained dead before its eye lit up weakly making Marie flinch in surprise and try to catch the ghost as she accidentally almost dropped it. “Zut, it’s alive!?” She whimpered in tearful surprise, “hello?!”.

The ghost seemed to get confused by the sudden jumble but finally it’s eye seemed to find the warlock, it almost seemed dead and even in its little eye, a sadness beyond anything a ghost could feel seemed to hang heavily from it. “you're not Anya? no...” a quiet voice replied, cracking slightly.

“Anya?” Marie asked with confusion.

“Captains name... it’s Anya” hope explained weakly, “i found it in the data" she admitted. Hope couldn't help but feel the loss the defeated ghost showed, she didn't bother flying, simply sitting in Marie's hands and her shell didn't move as she spoke. "you belong to the other titan don’t you, the one that isn't here” she asked gently, carefully scanning the ghost to see if there was anything she could do. “she is critically low on light...” Hope added after a moment.

Marie swallowed hard and closed her hands around the ghost as they begun to glow. After a moment, she revealed the flickering ghost who seemed stronger as her eye focused, “ah, warlock... of course...” she sighed but she either didn't register Hopes question or didn't bother answering.

“What happened to you?” Marie asked gently, cradling the broken ghost between her hands affectionately as if she could help.

The ghost seemed to take a long moment, “Anya... She asked me to make sure Dante made it home, but I guess no one heard my message” she murmured with defeat.

Marie teared up, biting her lip with guilt. “where is your guardian?” she asked.

“Probably dead...” the ghost trailed off weakly, “I haven’t seen her for years, I was waiting...". Iskra trailed off absently before looking away from the two, "I thought maybe when the guardians came for Dante... they might be able to help find Anya, but it’s useless now” she murmured.

Marie looked to hope tearfully, “you mentioned a second signal... where is it?”.

Hope looked almost to the ground, “it’s weak, I can barely see it, but it's down there...” she trailed off looking guilty, “there’s no way, you can’t go alone”.

Iskra seemed to look up at that, “she promised to keep her armour tracker on, I can’t believe it’s still working...” she admitted weakly, “but it’s too dangerous to go down there” she agreed.

Marie's heart ached, this ghost was heart broken. she had been disconnected from the light so long that she had almost died and she suspected that iskra herself had chosen this. She couldn’t find the will to fly even with the gift of light that she’d been given and after a long gaze at her own ghost, she let her head fall in defeat. “I’m going” she muttered with determination, “Anya, she’s the one who brought Dante back wasn’t she?” she asked.

Iskra looked up to her with mild surprise at the change of tone, “what? yes, she couldn’t leave Dante down there...” she looked depressed. After a sigh she continued, “she knew she wouldn’t come back...”.

“You aren’t seriously suggesting-“ Hope argued weakly, only to be cut off.

“If she can do it, then I’ll do the same for her... they can return to the tower together” Skye replied looking determined. While she was scared, she clutched the ghost tight and raised her up to look her in the eye, “you, what’s your name? uh... ieska?” she questioned with uncertainty.

Iskra looked shocked and was struck silent for a moment before finding her words. “it’s Iskra, e-skra, russian, most people call me sparks because it's easier" she rushed, "but, no, you don’t understand... you can’t bring her-“

Marie looked surprised at the name and her own clearly incorrect pronunciation, her own french accent got in the way a bit it seemed. "ah, russian? i see, well sparks then, You can stay here, I’ll bring her back” She promised with determination.

Iskra was silenced and looked a mix of devastated and hopeful, “you don’t understand, you can’t" she begun weakly. "her light is- it’s too dangerous, please, don’t go...” she begged.

Marie shook her head and looked to the ghost gently, “no, you don’t understand. I was there that day, I have to try and help" she admitted decisively "Anya saved me... now I need to at least try and allow her to find her some peace, for both of you”.

Iskra was silenced once more at the words, “you were?” she asked weakly. she eyed the warlock questioningly, “but, she would never forgive herself if you died, or worse...". Iskra looked as though she fought with her feelings and finally met her gaze again, moving her shell now as she spoke as if she now had a purpose again, "please, then you have to take me with you, i can help you. you can't go down alone” she warned, almost begged.

Marie looked between the ghosts before resting on Iskra, she didn’t have the heart to say no despite the danger. “can you fly?” She asked loosening her grip.

Sparks floated up a bit unsteadily but nodded with determination, “I can look after myself”.

Marie sighed and gathered her will, “ok, hide in my armour when it gets dangerous ok?”. With that, she moved to lock up the ship once more and took a deep breath, there was a deep sense of dread that fought with her will to try and return the favour in some way to the titan who had got her out safely all those years ago.

Iskra looked determined as she seemed to think things over and looked to the warlock, “uh, allow me to shield you, please..." she asked a little awkwardly. "I know it’s unorthodox.. but I promise it is safer” she insisted. she still looked defeated and sad but now at least she seemed willing to try and be alive compared to the few minutes before.

Hope looked uncertain, “but why you?” she asked a little suspiciously.

The ghost looked awkward in response, “it’s complicated, but please...”. After a moment hope gave a reluctant nod and Iskra nodded. The ghost didn't waste a moment to hide in Marie's armour and as she was shielded, she felt a cold shiver around her body as almost a dark tainted shimmer surrounded her briefly.

“What is this?” Marie asked carefully as she started moving back up to archers line.

Iskra was quiet for a moment, “it’s what’s left of Anya's light, it will hide you better than a normal shield” she promised weakly, “I don’t have much left... so be careful”.

On realising what that meant Marie paused before looking more determined, she was starting to realise that if the titan was still alive, there might be only one way to save her because she couldn't mistake the cold touch of darkness that invaded the light her shielding was made from. Hope who was working a lot better than sparks used her functions to track the weak signal leading into the Hellmouth. It led Marie down a dark tunnel and through hive infested corridors which made it harder to keep going as fear began to overwhelm the warlock, she couldn't help but remember the reason she had avoided the moon for so long. She remembered the titan getting them out and the horrors that they barely escaped but knowing the titan had taken them all on by herself after, she somehow found the strength to keep going.

Warlocks generally weren’t the stealthiest but not a peep escaped the warlock who was scared into silence. Despite the fact they were walking into a more than active hive breeding ground, as they crept through the darkened tunnels and built up paths, the hive they did come across didn’t seem to notice them as the warlock carefully took the hidden paths to escape their dark gaze. They didn’t seem to pick up on her light and it was a long walk before they finally seemed to get close to the weak signal that indicated where the titans body was, or at least what was left of her armour anyway.

They reached a low paved area that rested on the edges of a deep hole that dug into the moon, it was a circular area that was wide open making it so much harder to stealth through the area but with intense care, she managed to reach the area where the body was indicated to be. It seemed as though Anya's resting place was underneath a higher path away from prying eyes and she had seemingly laid down on a bed of black gunk and coral that had seemingly grown around her like a grave. She had clearly been there for a long time as her arms were buried in places and her armour hung off her as if it didn’t fit properly anymore.

Marie felt sick at the sight, she remembered this titan clearly. She was the one she dreamt about, she remembered her words and as she settled beside the titan gently, she found herself whispering them tearfully, “first in... last out... that’s the last thing she said...”.

“That was Anya, my guardian...” Iskra whimpered sounding upset, it sounded like she was desperate to try anything but knew it was too late, “there’s nothing....”.

Marie hesitated, part of her not wanting to touch the tainted guardian, the other part wondering if she should simply leave her here. She didn’t know if it was possible to get her out of here, if her body would survive a Transmat and would it be worse to destroy her that way. She finally swallowed hard and took a deep breath “what do you want me to do?” She asked Iskra quietly.

Iskra took a moment to think about it painfully, “I don’t think she will make it to the tower...” she admitted weakly, “and the second I stop shielding you, they will sense you..". after a heavy grief filled pause, she continued. "I can’t even..” it sounded as though If it were possible, the ghost would be crying. instead she sounded broken, “can you burn her?” She finally whimpered.

Marie nodded reluctantly before looking around carefully. there were still hive in the area that would absolutely pick up on any action she took, “but not here...” she added.

“I want to see her...” Iskra Begged quietly, “can you take her helmet off?”.

Marie nodded weakly, afraid of what she would see and with another moment of hesitation, she held her hand out to the titans helmet and she closed her eyes as Hope transmatted her helmet off. After a moment skye finally brought her gaze to the titan again and she saw a dark grey skinned figure resting among the filth, her eyes were dark and smoky, somehow almost glowing still and black gunk leaked from her eyes and mouth. A pained whimper was the only response from the titans ghost.

Marie felt sick with guilt, the titan had clearly suffered and even knowing the titan had not died in vain; she could only apologise weakly. Hope spoke up quietly “can you try holding her hand? I uh... I need to know if she will... Fall apart” she muttered with guilt.

Marie nodded weakly and took a deep breath, reluctantly reaching for the titans hand and she clutched it gently feeling an almost skeletal form beneath rotting leather gloves. she however wasn’t expecting the hand to grab her back and Marie jumped back with horror, just barely resisting a scream. after a moment a long moment, she saw the titans eyes move to her. “She’s alive, or whatever that is... it’s alive, it’s alive...” Marie whimpered with fear, holding her hand as if it had been burned.

The ghosts were silenced and after a moment it suddenly became clear that the titan was just barely breathing, the loose armour had hidden it previously. “Anya...” Iskra whispered, clearly resisting every urge to go to her.

Marie was shaken to her core and froze as the previously thought dead titan begun to try lifting herself up with a strangled groan and after a moment she let out a faint whimper. It looked as though she tried to speak but nothing came out, barely a whisper managing to escape.

“Please, I’m begging you, kill her...” Iskra finally whispered, she sounded utterly broken. “end her suffering... please...” she begged.

Marie could barely breathe but gave a shaky nod, starting to cry. “I’m so sorry....” she whispered, trying to will herself to move.

“It’s ok, just end it...” Iskra replied weakly.

It was a good minute before Marie could finally will herself to move let alone try and approach the barely alive titan. Anya or what was left of her could barely move, almost seemingly blind however as Skye approached again, her gaze unsteadily rested on her and she again tried to raise a hand before letting out another strangled whisper, more black gunk escaping from her mouth, only one word could be vaguely understood, "iskra".

Marie stopped and kneeled down tearfully beside the titan. despite it all, she could see the pain and desperation overpower anything else the titan might have wanted and she suddenly couldn’t bring herself to just kill her. “It’s Anya right?” She whispered weakly.

“It was" Iskra whispered.

Marie sniffed weakly before reluctantly taking the titans hand and she brought her other hand to the titans cheek with a disturbed shiver, “Anya? Are you there?” She whispered weakly.

Her dark cloudy eyes seemed to want to follow her hand before she seemed to almost lean into her hand, her words remained barely audible but she did manage to weakly squeeze the warlocks hand with her own. Marie leaned down to try and hear her whispers, “help...” she breathed painfully, begging.

“How?” Marie whispered in reply, leaning down to hear what she could.

“... sparks...” Anya whimpered, “...need... goodbye...”.

Marie sniffed quietly, unable to stop herself from crying. she knew what she needed to try and do, “I’ll let you say good bye... I promise” she replied, “but I have to move you first” she whispered, “is that ok?”.

Anya took a long drawn out breath barely shifting her head in a reply, “help....” she simply whispered.

Marie nodded and took a deep breath, "Esperer, what’s holding her there...”.

“You need to dig her out” Hope replied weakly “you aren’t suggesting taking her with you are you?”.

“Neither of them can say goodbye to each other here" Marie replied quietly, "so I want to take them somewhere safe so they can do that...” she admitted. “please... just tell me what I need to do... is there anything?” She asked.

“There’s usually a knife in her belt if that helps” Iskra muttered weakly, “maybe it’s still usable” she offered.

Marie took the direction with a nod and hesitated before trying to carefully dig through the hive gunk around her hips to find the knife. It was in a an unexpectedly bad condition but she begun to cut into the dark gunk keeping her glued where she was, the fabric that touched the gunk tore at the slightest touch despite the warlock being as gentle as possible and she felt sick at seeing the almost skeletal grey form under the plate metal. It was filthy work leaving the titan just trying to breathe as she laid there helplessly. The knife broke about three quarters of the way through so she instead dig into the filth with her hands until the titan seemed mostly freed.

Marie then brought a hand once more to the titans cheek, “let’s get you out of here, you’ve done your job..." she assured. "it’s time for the the last one to get out too” she whispered weakly. Anya simply let out a whimper, barely responding so Marie gently lifted her head, her hair seemed like it might have been purple once but now it was a dark tainted colour with black filth through her knotted hair. The warlock started by supporting her head before leaning down and bringing her other arm to pull her into a hug almost, lifting her as gently as possible. The ground resisted letting her go with a sick sucking sound but with slow determination, Skye had managed to pull her up leaving her limp in her arms.

Anya sounded pained and Marie shifted, she could see that the hive gunk had begun to eat away at her and her armour. She was surprisingly light though dispite the heavy looking plates and Skye assumed it was because she was thin combined with the almost acidic affect of the hive gunk.

It was surprisingly easy to pull her to her feet despite the warlocks lack of strength and the titan could barely support herself but it was almost as if old instincts kicked in and she braced herself weakly. After a moment, she tried to straighten up with a pained groan before gagging and throwing up thick black gunk while being supported by Marie. This however was loud and Marie looked around with fear as she heard movement in the distance, the mess was the last thing on her mind. “Enculer” she breathed.

The titan was slow to respond and only looked up as a wizard floated around the corner suspiciously. Marie couldn’t move quick enough as she supported the titan beside her and the wizard let out a screech before raising a hand as it started to glow. The tell tale appearance of dangerous glowing orbs appeared in her hands before soaring towards the two. It was then Marie knew it was over and she let out a scared whimper, “I’m sorry...”.

This seemed to trigger something in the titan and while she wasn’t fast, she managed to get in the way of the blasts with a strangled groan, struggling to stay on her feet as the barrage ended, fresh black surfaced from her back and from under her armour before she seemed to blindly look to Marie as she began murmuring indecipherable words and black smoke seemed to pour out of her wounds, mouth and eyes. The wizard seemed surprised by this before sending another heavy barrage but this time the smoke seemed to swallow the attack, eating away at it almost acidly and Anya lifted a hand to grab the warlocks shoulder tightly as a strange sensation started to permeate through her being. Marie let out an afraid cry before everything went black.


	3. Titan's Fall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anya wasn't as dead as they thought her, however she's not nearly as alive as you'd hope.

When the warlock woke woke, her body ached but Marie recognised the starry night sky above her despite it all, she'd thought she was dead, knowing where they were before but somehow they were on the surface. She took a deep breath before sitting up with a pained groan and Esperer appeared in front of her, “thank the traveller! Your alive!” She rushed gratefully, rubbing against her neck gratefully. “Anya started doing something and then we were here” she rushed, “I thought she had hurt you!”.

Marie looked confused and caught the ghost gently, “where is Anya now?” She asked looking around carefully, she wasn't certain if the titan was a threat. Her question was answered by the limp body of the titan beside her however, her ghost had settled in her palm looking upset and despite being helmetless, she seemed unaffected by the atmosphere.

“I don’t know if she is gone or not, she hasn’t moved for hours. I think she is breathing but barely, I don’t know how though” Esperer replied.

“The hive can adapt to anywhere, maybe she is more... hive than human” Marie shivered at the thought before shifting to her hands and knees, carefully crawling over to the titan. After a moment of hesitation, she gently grabbed the titans free hand to see if she would respond “Anya?” she asked carefully.

The titan didn’t seem like she would respond for a moment until she finally opened her dark misty eyes and squeezed her hand lightly. she opened her mouth to say something but nothing came out.

Marie gently shifted to look to her ghost tearing up, her guilt heavy one more. “Are you ok sparks?” she asked quietly.

The ghost was quiet for a long minute before replying, “I can’t fix this...” she admitted weakly, “it’s too late”. she paused as Anya weakly squeezed the ghost and it appeared that the titan seemed to be crying silently despite looking tired and blank. “I’m here Anya” she assured lovingly, her voice full of pain.

“What should I do?” Marie asked weakly, “is there anything?”.

“She will be killed if she’s taken to the tower, yet if she is kept alive like this. it’s almost worse...” sparks admitted, floating up to nudge the titans cheek affectionately. it was sickening almost seeing the ghost still hold so much love and affection for the monster that laid on the ground in front of them. The Guardian was clearly gone leaving a broken shell and Iskra was grieving. “I truly thought she would be gone but it’s like what happened to Eris, maybe it was too much...” she whispered.

Marie looked to her ghost and murmured unintelligible sounds of pain, it seemed like she was trying to speak but had almost forgotten how. it was as if she had became almost a vegetable, yet it was clear Iskra was having trouble accepting that her guardian seemed to be gone.

Marie swallowed hard as she gathered her will, she knew the only way to truly free Anya was death but her guilt was painful. at least she had kept her word to the ghost though, “well I said I would try to get somewhere both of you could say goodbye, here we are" Marie murmured with defeat, "so just tell me what you want... the moon is dangerous, so we have to go soon”.

Iskra looked torn between wanting to free her guardian and not being able too. “I-I... don’t, I-i can’t...” she finally stammered weakly, “it’s been so long, she was alone so long. I just... I can’t say goodbye yet” she whimpered.

Marie nodded as she teared up, it was easy to see the bond that the two had once and she didn't have the heart to force her hand. “ok, then let’s take her home” she finally breathed. she knew it was a bad idea, if they made it to the tower she would be in deep trouble if she was discovered, let alone the possibility that she might not even survive that trip to begin with.

The ghost looked surprised among her devastation and paused, “you would? even like this?” she whispered.

Marie nodded and awkwardly twisted her hands together as she considered her words. “she saved my life more than once. it could have been me down there, but it wasn't" she admitted before looking to Anya, "it’s only fair that I try and help her get comfortable before the inevitable, let’s take her home” she assured.

Iskra was lost for words before nodding as she one again regained a sense of purpose. “ok, uh, I can try and activate her ship like I promised, I’ll try and get them both home...” she replied looking determined, “but they will sense her, she feels like hive, like darkness. Every ghost is going to pick her up”.

Marie nodded and for a moment, considered her options. “I-i think I have an idea..." she begun carefully, "but it will only work if we can Transmat her safely. I don’t know if that will kill her” she admitted as she gazed at the barely living titan. she then looked to Esperer “can you put her in my tablet? She looks small enough”.

Esperer looked taken aback by the suggestion, clearly having not thought of it but she nodded and scanned the titan thoughtfully. "well her data is simple enough, and there while it would be a little tight, i can do it" she assured. transmat essentially froze something in place so it would technically be harmless too as long as anya had the strength to survive after the shock. "I can try transmatting her to the ship, if that works then i can definitely Transmat her into your tablet” she admitted before looking awkward, “but if she doesn't have the strength...” she trailed off with guilt.

“She dies...” Iskra finished weakly. the ghost was quiet for a long moment before the moon once more rumbled ominously and she loooked around with surprise. realisation followed as she shifted her gaze to anya, they couldnt stay here so she had to make up her mind. she wasn't ready to say goodbye, she'd only just been able to see her again and the thought of being alone scared her more then the thought of dying beside her. “can you give me a second... and then you can try...” Iskra replied weakly.

Esperer gave a solemn nod and Iskra settled into the titans neck quietly. in the dim light of the surface, her armour was incredibly damaged and just how thin she was became clear. Any seemed intent on trying to mouth something but she seemed almost paralysed as she cried silently, the only thing that was certain was that she was glad to at least have her ghost beside her as she could manage to rest her cheek against the ghost affectionately. Iskra remained torn at the idea of keeping her alive in this state and being unable to let her go, it was a long ten minutes before she reluctantly raised herself away from the titan with a shaky nod. she was the closest she would ever be to being able to let Anya go.

Anya seemed to follow her ghost and after a moment gave her a small smile as if she realised the stakes and Iskra looked choked up, refusing to take her eye off the the titan she had promised to take care of. Esperer felt invasive as she floated over and carefully scanned every inch of the maddened titan to make sure she had all the data she needed. With a deep digital breath, she enacted Transmat. The titan almost instantly looked afraid but for mere seconds before becoming limp and she was gone with a flash of light. It was unclear if it worked but Iskra nodded with difficulty, barely finding her words. “I’m going to take dante back in Anya's ship... I uh... I’ll meet you at the tower...” she trailed off to a whisper. “look after her...” she begged before turning and flying towards Anya'a ship with determination, as if fighting herself.

Marie swallowed hard and looked to Esperer looking upset. “ok, let’s go...” she nodded tearfully, she couldn't help but grieve for the pair she was trying to help.

They weren’t sure what they would find on Marie's ship, they weren’t sure if Anya would be alive or if her body would even survive the Transmat alone. would they return to find corrupted data or just moon dust. Marie took a deep breath and closed her eyes, scared of what they would find as she was pulling into transmat herself. When the familiar sensation of hitting the metal floor sounded, she forced herself to open her eyes. The body was at least in one piece and as Skye kneeled down to check her breathing, it was still there as faint as ever and on feeling Marie near, the titan let out a whimper as she mouthed something silent.

“She made it!” Esperer enthused with a deep sigh. despite the bad idea, she would be lying if she had a little bit of hope that this would work out, if they could get her home, they could at least entomb her with the friend she fell for. “ok so it worked, maybe this is possible but where are we going to take her?” Esperer begun, with the first step done, they hadn't really thought any further ahead.

Marie looked uncertain, standing to settle in the cockpit looking thoughtful. “well, uh..." she replied awkwardly, "I don’t know where she lived. it's presumtive to think that her house still exists or hasn't been resettled already which leaves...". she trailed off thoughtfully as she realised that the tower wasn't exactly a 'Safe' place for her. "let’s just take her to our house, if we can get her there then i can look after her for a day or two im sure" she decided.

“Why are you doing this?” Esperer asked gently making the warlock pause.

After a moment she swallowed hard, “I-I don’t know, I just... isn’t it weird? I’ve been dreaming about her all this time and now I find her and her ghost" she admitted. she went to start up the engine before eyeing her hands that were encrusted with filth and she felt queasy. for a moment it made her question her sanity as she saw Anya for what she was, some form of hive monster. she let the thought drop as she thought about the dreams and clutched her fists, moving to focus her light. her fists burst into bright solar light making the filth begin to pop and melt briefly before the searing heat cleansed her hands completely. "I suppose it's just... maybe it’s a message from the traveller...” she sighed and looked guilty, “and plus, she truly did save my, our lives and I can’t just take a guardian away from their ghost like that, even if it’s easier. could you imagine if this happened to you?” She asked as she teared up, “I’ll do it when sparks is ready, I promise”.

Esperer was quiet seeming not quite as convinced but nodded and started up the ship to help Marie along. "i just worry that you will be hurt by all of this" she admitted gently but she let the conversation drop.  
  
Esperer had shared her line with Iskra so she could find them later and as they both begun the trip home, they made a plan. They would use the distraction of Dante’s body returning to sneak the broken titan back into the tower and it was a fine plan until it became a challenge to free Anya's ship. with the assistance of Marie's ship, a rope and extra fuel, they finally escaped the cruel hold of the moon and the ships design became clearer than ever as they limped back to earth. in the open space, the ship was clearly faded from the passing of time but the proud lion's insignia still stood out, as if it represented the pride Iskra still had for her darkened guardian.  
  
They were about ten minutes away before Esperer nervously circled the titan for the next part of the plan, 'storing' the titan in her tablet until they got home. She had been still the whole trip, nearly lifeless other than weak shallow breaths and it became clear how she got stuck where she was, she must have been too weak to continue and collapsed there, not dead but too weak to move so the hive claimed her even more so than they already had. The only sign there was anyone there was the vague movements of her smoky eyes to follow the nervous ghost with the occasional mouthing of silent mutterings. she should almost have been blind with her faint her pupils were but she clearly wasn't.

Esperer finally willed herself to once more Transmat the titan, this time hoping it worked the same as before, hoping she had the strength to wake up again after. Once more the titan's fear flickered through her face before she almost became peaceful and disappeared into light. The ghosts nervousness was clear but it was too late now to change anything. Anya had left a dark pool of sludge underneath her however it wasn’t important right now as they focused on getting to the tower. Marie held the tablet close to her as if in some way that would help. She did her best to avoid the build up of guardians that had gathered to help retrieve Dante from Anya's ship, slipping past without a glance sent her way and it felt like a long walk to get home. She started to question why she herself was doing this for a titan she had only just gotten to know before this happened but she knew the reason, she couldn’t just do nothing, even if it meant she would have to end the titan herself eventually.

As they got home, Skye shut and locked the door before leaning into it with a heavy sigh, “ok, now just once more, I hope she made it..” she murmured weakly, moving to the bathroom to set her tablet down and start taking her armour off. “let’s try putting her in the bath, I’ll clean her up if she makes it” Skye muttered, “please, for sparks sake... make it” she whispered to herself, begging almost for it to work out.

Esperer looked uncertain, focusing hard on the task at hand to ensure she did it right and after a moment, the sleeping form of the titan was laying in the bath tub, however after a moment, this time she didn’t seem to wake. Marie nervously kneeled down to try and stir her only for nothing to happen, her weak breath was gone and the warlock teared up with guilt. “non, non, did we take too long?!” She whimpered desperately before trying to shake the titan a little harder for the same result. She then shifted to stand above the titan in a last ditch effort to stir her, pressing her hands against the Titans chest to give her a focused a burst of arc light to try and shock the titan to life.

After a heavy moment, the titan gasped weakly letting out a pained whimper. She looked terrified as her hands weakly felt the strange surface around her blindly, she didntappear to know where to look this time either as she searched with shaky hands. Anya paused on feeling Marie's hands when the warlock reached out and took them. her gaze finally found the warlock and she mouthed something before groaning uncomfortably but there was nothing that Marie could understand in her complaints.

“Shhh, it’s ok...” Marie soothed gently, quickly shifting to bring a bare hand to the titans face despite the filth, “trust me my sweet, I’ll protect you until sparks gets back” she promised. Anya teared up at the mention of Iskra but seemed to calm slightly so Marie continued gently. “I’m going to take off your armour so I can clean you, ok?” she soothed before carefully pulling out a proper knife this time, beginning to slowly cut into the armour as to free her. There was no way any of it was salvageable as the fabric parts tore in her hands while the metal was rusted through and split in parts, she was very careful not to hurt the titan more than necessary, Marie feared the potential of making the titan consider her a threat.

As the metal was stripped away, the rotting leather cut free and the remaining biosuit torn away, the extent of the titans damage became clear, she was almost skeletal. her skin if it was ever another colour, it was uncertain as to what it was and now it was a dark sickly grey. deep wounds ran down her sides and back where it was clearly infected and black, it was no surprise the titan could barely move as the hive seemed to have infected her very core making her survival nothing short of a miracle. The only indication of her race was that of a dull shining that faintly flickered under her skin indicating she was at one point awoken, which perhaps explained the grey smoky eyes. It was unclear if she could actually see or not but it at least appeared that she was blind at the moment because she weakly seemed to look around with her hands.

It was then that Marie gently started to wash the titans body was warm water and the softest cloth she could find. Every drag of the cloth made the titan let out a pained whimper and she looked scared as if she’d forgotten what bathing was. Marie internally noted that perhaps she had some memory loss to go with potential blindness as the scientist in her was triggered. Once the titan was clean, she did look slightly better, even her hair looked a little more lively without the thick gunk making a mess of her, Anya's hair was a slightly deeper but still dull purple. It hung messily past her shoulders and Marie gently tried some medical disinfectant in the hope that maybe it could help the titans destroyed body fight off the bodily problems. The light was a whole other issue that she would deal with later. With even less weight, Marie even found it almost easy to lift her out of the bath , setting her on the warlocks bed gently before bathing herself with mild embarrassment despite not knowing if the titan could actually see or not.

Marie then settled into carefully drying the titan off and putting her into bed gently. Despite cleaning her face, it didn’t take long for dark lines of filth to trail from her eyes, ears and mouth but it was clearly out of her control. The titan herself was surprisingly patient and despite not knowing why, Marie appreciated not having to fight to care for the titan.

It was about an hour in and she had just finished with the titan when Marie heard a knock at the door and she cursed, covering the titan as much as possible before shutting her bedroom door and pretending to act normal as she answered. She was faced with a shady looking hunter who looked her up and down emotionlessly through her helmet, “where is she... I know she’s here...” she demanded quietly.

Marie looked lost, she’d never seen this hunter in her life and went to grab the door to close it, “what do y-“.

“Anya, where is she” the hunter repeated sternly, putting a hand ominously on the door to stop her from shutting it and she stepped inside. “I know she is here, I’d recognise her armour signal anywhere” she warned.

Marie backed up looking afraid, “I don’t-” she trailed off not haven’t realised that they’d forgotten to turn it off, “who are-“.

The hunter walked in and shut the door behind her before pulling out a knife lazily, “I’m not asking again” she demanded ominously.

Marie teared up as her lip shook, she was a bit of a pushover and she was easy to scare. she finally pointed to her bedroom in defeat, “please don’t kill her...” she begged weakly, “please... her ghost hasn’t-“

The hunter pushed past and let herself into the warlocks bedroom angrily, her language changed to one Marie didn't recognise. “Anya! gde, chert voz'mi, ty byl-” her voice trailed off before the sound of a quiet this followed. As Marie followed the hunter in shyly, the hunter dropped to her knees beside the bed in shock, “Anya?”. After a moment she turned to the warlock, flawlessly switching back to common and Marie now picked up on her accent. “how did this happen?!” She demanded angrily.

Marie bit her lip looking guilty, “she was left on the moon, the hive.. they got to her and I found her like this” she replied weakly, “I’m looking after her for her ghost”.

The hunter looked back to the titan before pulling off her helmet revealing a teary awoken woman who dropped down to the titans side and clutched her hand gently, she looked almost afraid to break Anya, “how long?” she asked with a devastated whisper. With the hunters face on show, she was beautiful with a light blue pale skin colour, her light pulsing brightly through her skin. her hair resembled that of the titan's but it was a healthy deep plum that shined in a loose bun on the back of her head. the woman looked stern despite the grief she was feeling.

“About four years...” Skye finally whispered and the hunter dropped her head weakly.

“The whole time?” she murmured tearfully. Anya's darkened gaze seemed to find the hunter's but there was no recognition in her eyes as she worded something silently looking beyond exhausted.

“Were you a friend of hers?” Marie asked carefully, shifting to sit on the other side of the bed warily.

The hunter swallowed hard and sniffed as she struggled not to cry, “no... but we should have been” she replied with guilt.

Marie looked confused but decided not to push the matter. “The vanguard will have her killed” she murmured, “at this rate it would be kinder to..." she trailed off as she found the words difficult to say but the meaning was clear, "sparks isn’t ready yet” she finished simply.

The hunter looked to the Anya with guilt. “will you kill her?” she questioned quietly.

“Eventually, surely you have to agree... it’s kinder” Marie whispered, “what’s your name?”.

The hunter was silent for a moment before replying, “Yelizaveta, my friends would call me Veta, if i had any” she admitted as she looked to the titan and broke with a sniffle, “I never told her my name...” she teared up with guilt, “can she even hear me anymore?”.

Marie swallowed hard, she wasn’t sure what these two had been in the past but it was clear the hunter regretted something if not everything. “I don’t know, she seemed to understand but I don’t know if she truly does understand or it just happened to be a fluke, I know she knows her ghost but other than that” she bit her lip, “I’m sorry”.

Veta lifted her head up to meet the dark gaze of the titan before putting a hand to Anya's cheek, “she was a good titan, one of the best I’ve ever known, but this. she is broken...” Beth muttered in defeat. Anya seemed to lean into her hand tiredly and weakly squeezed her hand but that was all the response she gave, looking as distant as ever.

Marie nodded and stood, “I’m going to try and feed her, maybe try and get her to drink something. I don’t know if it will hurt her or not" she admitted, "but it appears as if she has been starved for years at least among other things, you can keep her company if you like” Marie offered gently.

At a nod from the hunter, the warlock left to make something easy for the titan to swallow with very little effort. She tried some chicken soup, strained so she couldn’t choke and only warm so she wasn’t burned, it took quite some time so by the time she had returned, Iskra had appeared and settled in the Anya's hand looking solemn. The hunter and ghost seemed to talk to each other quietly in the same foreign language that Veta had spoken in before.

While it wasn’t the most graceful of options, Marie figured it might be easier if the soup was in a bottle so it was easy to set it aside before sitting beside the titan gently. “i'm sorry to interupt" she greeted shyly.  
  
Veta shrugged the greeting off and switched back to common, "tis fine" she mumbled awkwardly, clearly still feeling down as she sat beside Anya and her ghost.  
  
Iskra looked to Marie with a solemn nod, "uh, thank you, i wasn't expecting you to uh, well, do so much" she admitted before looking grateful, "thank you, i owe you my light".  
  
Marie shook her head and held up her hands, "oh no, non... i just felt it was right" she admitted shyly, blushing a little as she slipped into a word of french. "speaking of doing stuff" she continued awkwardly, "I made her some soup, i thought it was worth a try, maybe". Marie looked to Anya who was in bed looking as absent as ever and the warlock wasn't looking forward to possibly upsetting her so she could try and eat something. "is that ok?" she asked carefully.  
  
After a nod from both Veta and Iskra, Marie shifted to take Anya's other hand gently, leaning down to try and get the titan's attention. "hey my sweet, i know it might be hard, but I think it would help if you ate a little something, do you want to try?" she asked gently, she wasn't sure yet if Anya understood her but it was mostly for her own comfort. The titan shifted to give the warlock her gaze and after a moment, squeezed her hand lightly in response though whether she understood the words was a mystery.

With 'permission' from Anya, Marie gently helped lift her up into a sitting position, letting her rest against the warlock's chest. it was clearly a painful affair as Anya whimpered, crying more than she already was but she either didn't have the strength to fight or didn't try to. “I know... I know... it won’t be long, I promise” Marie soothed affectionately, she hated causing the broken titan more pain but it couldn't be helped and she focused on retrieving the bottle of soup carefully. “let’s try just a little bit ok” she continued gently before bringing the bottle to her black stained lips carefully.

At first Anya didn’t seem to want it as she weakly tried to dodge the help but she came around when she realised that it wasn’t as bad as she thought, finally taking in a little bit of soup. All up the titan managed a few small mouthfuls before shaking her off and Marie was happy that she had taken in at least that much. it was better than nothing and it seemed to cheer up the hunter and ghost as well. Marie helped the titan settle into bed once more with a guilty sigh as she realised there wasn’t much more she could do for the titan now, the only way to help was morbid.

The newly met hunter stayed for most of the afternoon in a state of guilty shock although she didn’t voice why she felt so bad other than mentioning that she should have told Anya her name earlier which the warlock had no hope of understanding. As night fell, it became slighty awkward as Marie settled into her nightly routine, making dinner before once more trying to get the titan to have a few more mouthfuls of food. However the situation did leave Marie without access to her bed. While it was a double in size, it felt awkward to sleep beside the titan she barely knew let alone considering the fact that the titan was barely human or awoken anymore. Since they didn’t have any other option, Marie settled on the lounge with a spare blanket and pillow without complaint.


	4. Soft Hearted Disasters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How to make a death peaceful, if Marie can bring herself to keep her promise.

It was surprising what a night could do. While it wasn’t certain if the titan had actually slept as her lifeless stare barely indicated she was alive to begin with. Anya seemed to be more responsive the next morning, moving her gaze to the doors direction as she heard it open rather than waiting to be nudged or spoken too. Marie started by trying to convince the titan to eat and it was becoming slightly easier as she was resisting noticeably less than the day before. in fact Marie was starting to wonder if it was the lack of food previously had been her issue as only the traveller had known how long it had been since the titan had eaten before she was found on the moon. Years of starvation probably didn’t help much and truthfully was only one of the titan's many problems, not to mention, likely the only problem Marie could potentially fix.

The next mission was bathing Anya as just a night had passed but her face was filthy as well as her various wounds that leaked black sludge as if she were still bleeding out. she wasn't of course much to Marie's surprise but she noted that she would have to bandage her body in future. Only one thing was really clear for the moment and that was that the titan hated moving, likely because it was painful and perhaps she just wasn’t strong enough to fight the warlock off, or alternatively, chose not too. Either way, it was easy despite everything to get her into the bath. Marie decided that this time, she would try not to just clean the titan but she tried as well to see if she could help soothe Anya in any way despite some awkwardness, the warlock couldn't avoid having to get up close and personal.

Marie herself often enjoyed a spa night on her nights off, so she already had a bunch of stuff to settle into a warm comforting soak, usually with a book and tea, or wine. Tea or wine was out, but Marie decided to see how Anya would respond to a lavender bath, something that wouldn’t irritate her wounds but perhaps help her actually sleep. This was where she felt most awkward as she gently checked that the water wasn’t too warm before helping the titan settle into the bath safely. Anya naturally was a little afraid of falling into the water and drowning but with Marie's support, she almost relaxed a little as the warlock gently massaged soothing soap over her body carefully. Iskra was never too far away, watching with guilty worry. she had been quiet as she observed but she finally seemed to want to talk as she floated over to the warlock quietly. “so... who are you... I don’t remember asking” she admitted weakly, “you opened your house to u- me... and I haven't even thanked you” she looked to Marie with shy embarrassment. “thank you for this, I know this isn’t... right... but I just....” she trailed off awkwardly, her voice full of pain as she gazed to her guardian.

Marie looked to the ghost and shook her head, “it’s ok sweet, I could never know how you feel but I can imagine it and that’s enough, so I will help" she assured gently. "Anya rescued me all those years ago, I feel this is only fair even if you neither of you recognise me” she replied before biting her lip as she gathered her thoughts. “what was she like, i vaguely remember she was nice on the field” she admitted, “I can barely remember her” she sighed with guilt. “and you can call me Marie” she added.

Iskra looked to the broken titan with sadness, “Anya was obnoxious, so full of life and always smiling, teasing" she admitted. "she had this ego or pretended too, she always used to say she was the best to make people laugh, most people argued with her and warlocks almost always got annoyed but hunters" she chuckled nostalgically, "it was always fun to tease hunters, their pride is immense. maybe I’m biased but I truly thought she was the best”. The ghost paused to collect her thoughts before continuing, “she never questioned her role as a guardian, I've heard stories of some guardians fighting against their ghosts but elsie never did, she just went with it...”. she looked to Marie then, “one of her favourite things was running head first into a fight and winning with her fists, she was always so stupid... but she always won." she sighed, "she died sometimes but she never lost, before now...” she looked solemn at the thought, “I think That Anya is gone” she admitted weakly.

Marie bit her lip, looking at the shell of a titan that sat in front of her. It was hard to believe she was any of that once, “do you think that maybe it would have been easier not knowing what happened to her?” She asked quietly.

Iskra took a long time to answer, “I wonder if I should never have looked, but knowing she would still be there" she admitted, "especially like this. she's not alive, but not dead either and I want to fix it with everything i have. I just can’t yet” she muttered with defeat. “I can’t bring myself to do it, not yet... maybe I’m stupid but I can’t help wondering if there’s anything I can do, besides That, and I know she would be ok with me letting go but I can’t....”. Iskra looked devastated as she finished, “I don’t want to be alone...”.

Marie teared up and focused on gently rubbing the soapy cloth against the titans grey skin, swallowing hard as her guilt was worsened, she hadn't intended to upset the ghost. “uh... what kind of things did she like?” She asked, changing the subject.

This seemed to work and the ghost pulled herself up, “oh, uh... well she loved coffee”. she shook her head with a nostalgic sigh, “I remember her routine, she would get up, armour up before she did anything and then sit down with a coffee and watch crucible" the ghost lit up a little at the memories. "Anya loved coffee and crucible mostly, she hated being bored and on her days off we would just sit and talk as she maintained her armour. her favourite helmet was called the helm of saint-14. she used to just spend hours sometimes polishing her armour to the point it shined and she was so proud of herself, of what she had done in her life”.

Marie felt a bit better imagining that, she could see it in the ship she had used once. The titan symbol red and proud on the hull, she remembered her actions and the way she carried herself in her last memories. the warlock wondered if Anya would even remember these things anymore. In her thoughts, the cloth slipped from her hands and into the darkening water caused by the titan's condition and she blushed, “uh... excuse me...” she murmured, awkwardly looking for the cloth and, blushing deeply as she felt the titans bare body. Marie had been trying not to overstep her personal space too much despite the level of care Anya needed, she was grateful to retrieve the cloth quickly and cleared her throat.

Iskra didn't seem bothered, almost lighting up a little as if she remembered a memory. “you know, once upon a time she would have enjoyed this...” she sighed, “it’s probably not my place to say but if she knew, Anya probably say something stupid like-" she paused as she adjusted her voice and she took on a playful and rough accent that mirrored Veta's. "-you can play as much as like” she continued before chuckling a little and dropping back to her normal voice. "She was a lot smoother than i make her out to be" she assured.

Marie blushed deeply with surprise, “what?”.

Iskra shook her head quickly looking shy, “oh, i'm sorry, never mind, i'm used to just blurting stuff out" she admitted awkwardly, "she just always enjoyed awoken females more than anything and my thoughts- sorry, i'm awkward” she muttered.

Marie blushed awkwardly as Anya chose that moment to gaze at the warlock vaguely. “oh... uh...,” the cloth slipped from her hands and she cursed under her breath, “well I don’t know, maybe she is enjoying herself somewhere” she muttered weakly, trying to make a joke.

Iskra seemed to hesitate but once she was sure Marie was ok, she lightened up and chuckled, “I wouldn’t be surprised, she was a bit of a perve like that” she sighed, “I’m sorry. I probably shouldn’t have mentioned it...” she admitted.

“Non, non, non, I did ask what she was like” Marie rushed, slipping into french briefly. “it’s ok, I guess I just wasn’t expecting the answer; that’s all, but it’s ok” she assured before swallowing and finding the cloth once more.

Admittedly, this conversation was making Marie's own mind run as she wasn't expecting to share her own preferences with the broken titan. Despite her subtle disgust in Anya's thin and starved body, after the mention of how she used to act. Marie had begun to pay more attention and she begun to notice subtle signs from the titan as she worked gently. Anya was very stiff, and she meant that physically as some parts of her body seemed almost tough and chitinous in places, her arm was almost locked up in fact. The condition seemed to be all over her body sporadically, including her face which perhaps explained her lack of emotions and while her emotions didn’t show through her face, she knew that the titan felt something because she noted how she saw her muscles tense and relax weakly in certain places. Anya remained breathing slow and shallow breaths but she was stable, the titan would tilt her head as she found comfort in Marie's support. she ignored these signals to the best of her ability though and while she couldn’t tell if this extra attention was having any form of good affect. She assured herself that even if it wasn’t helping much, a girl should look after herself and since Anya couldn’t, Marie would as awkward as it was.

The bath was pretty dirty by the time Marie seemed to admit defeat, nothing seemed to crack her emotionless shell and if she was relaxing, it certainly wasn’t showing so she rinsed the filthy water away to take care of her wounds and put her back in bed. After another few mouthfuls of soup, Marie settled cross legged beside the titan with her journal in her lap. perhaps it was the warlock in her, but Marie had been driven to start a new journal where she had begun to study and note the things she learned about the titan in her care, as she made notes, Marie looked to the ghost who'd once more settled into the titan's hand.  
  
"uh, sparks... you uh, you had an accent before" marie brought up awkwardly, the question had been bugging her since she'd heard Vera but she finally felt comfortable enough to ask. "is that what uh, Anya sounded like?" she asked.  
  
Iskra looked surprised at the question and nodded, "of course, i probably butchered it but Anya was russian once".  
  
Marie was overcome with curiosity and looked thoughtful. "ah, i am not familiar, it sounds different to city russian" she admitted, "but i should have been able to guess still" she sighed with defeat. she wrote a few notes with a hum, noting that she should research the titan's form of russian.

The ghost chuckled nostalgically, "oh i wasn't familiar with it either" she admitted, "it's a different strand to modern russian, Anya had to teach me herself so she didn't lose me" she assured. "you know she would just mumble to herself or just slip into russian mid-conversation so i just kinda nodded and agreed until she realised i couldn't understand her" she mused.  
  
Marie listened to the ghost happily, almost looking like a child hearing a story and she smiled gently. "i can relate, uh, my ghost, esperer... she had to learn french for the same reason" she admitted awkwardly, "it's just more comfortable".

Iskra smiled before looking curious, "i was wondering what your accent was" she admitted, "it's rare but i have heard it before, i just don't understand it. its almost romantic sounding" she added playfully, "not as rough as russian".

the warlock blushed lightly at the compliment, "thankyou" she replied lightly before looking thoughtful. "so, would i be correct in assuming your name means something russian?" she asked. "what was it, uh, ik-"  
  
"Iskra, it means spark, elsie named me herself" Iskra corrected proudly, "it's kinda weird to say just spark so most people say sparks and i introduce myself like that, it's easier" she assured. "how about you and uh... esp-i have no hope of saying it" she chuckled.  
  
Marie laughed gently at the ghost and nodded, "esperer is french for hope, so people call her hope for same reason, easier" she smiled.

The ghost looked quite cheerful now as she gazed at her titan affectionately before returning to Marie. "you know, now we are on the topic, i remember Anya's name. You might find it fun but her full name is Anastasiya. it's pretty, but i like it's meaning, it means ressurection" she explaianed with a smile, "i suppose it's even more relevant now because they haven't managed to kill her yet" she joked weakly.  
  
Marie looked surprised and chuckled in response, "oh, well then she chose perfectly didn't she" she mused, "she must have been tough".

Iskra nodded and sighed, "she was, and is, we always joked that she was too stubborn to die...". after a quiet moment of thought, she looked grateful. "thank you again, for helping keep her memory alive, i appreciate it" she admitted before going quiet. Marie gave her a nod and returned to her study thoughtfully, writing down a few notes in response. The warlock studied in silence for the next few hours mostly, she would mutter to herself occasionally but she left the ghost to her thoughts.

A few hours passed before the silence was broken by a pained whimper from Anya who seemed to search for someone with a blind gaze. Iskra immediatly settled in her hand once more since that seemed to calm her down most of the time but this time was different, she weakly avoided the ghost with a shake and mouthed some words. it was as if she’d forgotten she could move her hands because once she freed from the ghost, Anya shifted to feel the bed around her and paused on finding Marie's dress, clutching it as if she was the one Anya wanted instead. The warlock looked surprised but put her book down and shifted closer, clutching her hand supportively. “I’m here” she soothed before looking to Iskra expectantly, “what’s wrong?”.

iskra looked unsure and scanned the titan carefully. On finally escaping the vanguard to the not so triumphant return to her old home, it was different. Iskra felt alone as she skirted past the crowds anxiously. she never imagined she would be flying through the tower alone ever, Anya had helped to build the tower and they had both assumed that they would never have to walk or fly though it alone but here they were. while she knew Anya was still there somewhere, she had the address and everything, the knowledge was hollow knowing that she wouldn't be greeted by her favourite person's smile. she almost hoped that it was all some bad dream and the titan would lecture her on having such a dumb dream but she couldn't escape the facts as she let herself into Marie's apartment. she could sense the darkness from the door but it was fainter now, she only had to follow it to find Anya in bed looking corpse-like. Her old hunter friend Veta was there, grieving of course, it was a semi pleasant surprise but it was just as shocking as it was on the moon, seeing the titan as she was, she was cleaner but still, she looked like death.

Iskra of course had her old data for Anya, she soon discovered that the data set was for a completely different person. the titan in front of her was ruined in every way and a deep scan revealed that in depth. to begin with, her muscle was next to nothing which was expected due to starvation of course, but the damage seemed surprisingly limited in that area oddly enough. it was near the skin that was more damaged than anywhere else and it was because of a chitinous reaction that seemed to be taking place there, even so, it was still oddly fluid, alive almost. her blood, if you could still call it that was black and it took the form of a thicker liquid that ran through her veins. her body seemed incapable of creating fresh blood as well as she was tainted to her bones that were very much in a weakened form. with that discovery, she was able to determine the black liquid that she both cried and bled from her body was also blood which was disturbing to know.

as she dove deeper, she discovered a probable reason that Anya couldn't speak, the titan's throat was cracked and semi solid. it was likely incredibly painful but the problems didn't stop there as the same chitinous affect followed into the rest of her organs in places, particularly her stomach where blood pooled up unnaturally. it was honestly shocking that she was even alive but the darkness itself seemed to feed into Anya's lifeforce, forcing her existence to continue almost. after a day or so, it was odd to see the changes that seemed to be happening to her. the light drenched tower seemed to be affecting her in some way as the dark energy was weaker than before and for a little bit, she was concerned that Anya would finally die but she held on. she couldn't eat much because of her stomach problem and the excess blood but even the small amounts of food that she was able to have gave her body much needed strength to start working quicker. Iskra finally found the new problem though and it was a little unexpected. with her body now beginning to process things, a familiar problem made itself known and Anya must have realized in some manner.

Iskra looked to Marie awkwardly, “I think her body is starting to work again" she admitted shyly, "I think she needs the ladies room...” she trailed off, eyeing the titan. “her life signs are starting to pick up a little as her body is processing things”.

Marie hadn't thought about that being a problem but she felt dumb for not considering it and bit her lip. she then carefully untangled herself from the titans grasp to move to the other side of the bed much to Anya's vague concerns. “it's ok my sweet, I got it” Marie assured gently, helping the titan up with a sigh. “there is only one way to find out...” she muttered with a blush, helping her out. Marie needed to support her as awkward as it was and the guess turned out to be right as Anya relieved herself, calming down as if she had been afraid to have an accident. Marie wasn’t expecting to have to look after the titan to this extent but after tidying her up, she returned the titan to her bed. Like everything else, her urine was tainted black too and Marie took a few minutes to gather her will before returning to the bedroom, she couldn’t blame the helpless titan but this was well and truly over stepping the line of comfortable chores she was willing to do, she however knew she had to keep going.

As the days passed, it did seem as more of Anya's bodily functions begun to start working properly rather than the almost dead corpse like being that she had started out as. In one way it was facinating. Marie didn’t understand how it had happened and after getting to know the titans form so well through her care, it did appear that part of her was clearly tainted by hive but the cause was oddly biological, the extent to which was hard to tell. it almost appeared as though her body was trying and failing to fight off the condition as it seemingly woke up over the next few days. The titans strength seemed to be returning in some form too as it was getting easier to move her head and hands.

Anya could hold her ghost tighter and find Marie quicker with her hands, even her voice sounded as though it was getting better as she was able to start letting out barely audible whispers with a little less pain. The black tears and saliva didn’t stop however and Marie had taken to bathing the titan twice a day, Once in the morning and once at night. Despite Iskra's intention to try and find the will to let the titan go, she found it harder and harder as the days passed, it almost looked as though Anya was getting better and she could no longer consider the thought of ending her knowing that there was a chance of things getting better.

Marie had unintentionally lost her room to the titan since she was too uncomfortable to move the titan or ask for her room back, the other problem that surfaced was that eventually Marie was required to work outside of home again. for a time she managed to be able to work from home with the reason given being that she had known the returning titan but there came a day that she had no choice to leave her house. Anya had never been left alone like that before, and despite her growing ability to speak and move, Marie couldn’t help but fear what she was coming home to at the end of the day even if Iskra was supposed to be there.

As Marie reached her front door, she entered causally before locking it behind her and turning around as if expecting a disaster. she was relieved to find her house how she left it which was a good start. She checked the kitchen and that too was in one piece, not a thing out of place. The bedroom door was closed so it appeared Anya had stayed in the bedroom which was promising. It was only when she opened the bedroom door that her heart fell. The bed was a mess, the covers had been ravaged revealing the growing black stains from the titan's recovery, however Anya wasn’t there anymore and there were black marks dragging across the floor in every direction. It appeared that Anya had been searching for her as the marks seemed to blindly circle the room and walls, it was clear she had been unable to find the door handle.

Somehow Marie's closet had escaped the titans blind search however following the marks Vaugely to the bathroom, she finally found the titan on the floor. Her hands were twisted through her hair and she’d clearly been crying as well was potentially getting sick since there was a lot of black around. Her clothes were dirtied from either the crawling or making a mess of herself when she couldn’t find either Skye or her bathroom, she was breathing hard as if mid anxiety attack. she seemed more out of it than she’d been in a while and at hearing footsteps, she jumped with a scared whimper and shook her head to start crying fresh tears with scared whimpers. She tried her best to push herself away from the noise but she was already in a corner so it was useless.

Marie swallowed hard, she felt guilty, but she knew she had to fix it somehow, she began by approaching carefully, trying her best to not give the titan more reason to fear her. “my sweet, it’s me Marie, I’m home now, you remember me?” she soothed gently. The titan seemed unconvinced and her whispers were almost unintelligible mutters of fear in what may have been sloppy russian maybe, she did pick up the words 'please don’t hurt her' but it almost wasn’t in common and esperer was barely able to translate it. After a moment the warlock realised Anya's eyes where becoming very smoky, resemembling what had happened on the moon so marie quickly discarded the slow approach and moved to the titans side to take her hands with concern. “Hey, hey, none of that my sweet; I’m here, shhhh” she soothed quickly, pulling the flithy Russian into a hug.

The titan fought her off briefly before realising that it was in fact Marie and she collapsed into tears, murmuring weak and sloppy russian amongst her anxiety. Esperer was able translate enough to say she was just apologising over and over again. now that Anya didn't seem aggressive anymore, she settled more comfortably for the moment and allowed Anya to Pull the warlocks gloved hands to her cheeks comfortably. Anya moved into new words that Esperer had trouble catching but she translated: "i couldn't find you, Iskra is gone, don't leave, please".

Marie teared up in guilt and held the titan tight, she knew she had no choice but the words still cut her deep. “it’s ok, I had to go to work, but I’m back now, I'll always come back” she soothed gently. the words felt heavy, as if she knew she was either lying or something worse. close up, Marie could see that Anya had pulled out some of her hair in her stress and her nails showed that she seemed to have scratched wounds into herself which explained the extra mess, her hands were especially filthy. “Let’s get you cleaned up” Marie sighed with worry before looking to Esperer with exasperation, “wheres sparks?”.

Anya only shook her head and brought her hands up to hold skyes robes tightly as if she was replying while esperer could only shrug and try her best to contact the missing ghost. It was hard to convince the titan to let Marie go, she had become clingy and dependant over the weeks that she had lived with the warlock and while it was more emotion than Anya had started out with, her mind was clearly broken leaving her with a childish fear of everything around her. She wasn’t quite strong enough to walk yet but she had slowly started gaining some weight. it took time for her body itself to be get used to being used again. She never spoke louder than a whisper and her voice remained quite harsh as if she had a permanent sore throat.

When Marie had finally got Anya settled in the bath, she took a moment to take a breath as she worked on cleaning away the filth from her darkened skin, she was glad to see the progress she was making despite it all. Anya wasn’t nearly as thin as she started and it showed even though she still didn’t eat much as it seemed to upset her stomach if she did. the warlock made that mistake in the hope it might help her recover quicker but over the space a few days, it became obvious that the titan could only handle a little before her tainted nature reacted violently, it made her incredibly sick. Marie guessed that hive didn’t react well to humanities needs and quickly gave up on trying to force her to take on any more food than she wanted. She remained on a liquid diet just in case but it also seemed easier as the few times she had tried to give Anya little bites, she seemed to have trouble swallowing which perhaps explained why she chose not to speak louder than a whisper. Iskra had mentioned something was going on with her throat but she wasn't sure what.

Once the titan was clean, Marie quietly left her to relax in the bath with some mor difficulty so she could start tidying up the mess of the bedroom. It didn’t take long for Anya to call her back fearfully so Marie was forced to set her in a clean corner of the bedroom while she continued cleaning. As she stripped the beds she paused as she fully uncovered the bottom sheet and shivered, she must not have noticed a small wound near her legs or maybe she had just missed the dot but where she had bled black sludge was starting to sprout into dark mould like growths and she shivered. Marie looked to elsie with a mix of sorrowful disgust, knowing something like that was part of her was horrific but she tried her best to ignore it for now, perhaps there was something she could make to help.

Once the bed was made, Marie finally helped the titan to bed before offering her the now familiar bottle that she drank from to eat. in some ways it was like looking after a young child and in others it was clear that sometimes she had more mental capacity than that, it just depended on the day and if it was a particularly bad day, she barely responded at all, simply staring off into the distance like she had done to begin with. Marie could only assume she was trapped in her mind on those days and there was nothing she could do to help.

Today's relapse meant that Marie could barely leave the titan's side before she would start freaking out so after trying and failing to continue her work out in the living room, she finally brought her work into the bedroom to sit beside Anya instead. The titan seemed ok with this at least, shifting to her side and cuddling closely to the warlocks side with a hand resting on her thigh looking tired, her eyes vaguely seemed to scan the area as if she was afraid something would get her however. Marie ended up being stuck there until dark had well and truly set in and she was stuck in her robes unable to turn the light on so as it got too dark to do any more study, the warlock packed up with a sigh and looked to Anya. “I wish I could talk to you....” she murmured with guilt and mild exhaustion, “maybe I could help you feel better”. she brought a hand to sweep Anya's hair to the side, even in her tainted form, Marie could tell she was beautiful in her own way. it made her wonder what she looked like when she walked in the light.

Anya looked up to her words and mouthed a response but Marie missed it in the dim lighting, windows didn't really exist in the tower. the warlock glowed gently however because of her awoken nature and it was easy to see both her stark blue white eyes and a gently pink glow where her skin was bare. She had never been stuck like this before, normally if Iskra had to leave, she returned by now but as of yet the ghost hadn't surfaced. Marie looked to the titan thoughtfully as she considered what she would do and decided with a nod, “tell you what, how about, I’ll be right back with some dinner and maybe I can tell you a story. would you like that?” She asked gently, taking the titans hand soothingly. Anya reluctantly agreed and with that, the warlock carefully pried herself away from from the titan's hands, going to turn on the light before deciding against it with a sigh, there wasn't really a point to turning it on. she was as quick as possible yet Anya seemed unsettled and upset by the time she returned again showing just how damaging the day had been. This time, Skye shifted her pillows to lean against the bed head comfortably before gently helping Anya sit up against her so she could eat and calm down again.

Marie had gotten a lot better with the titan but felt a little awkward as she shifted to support the titan gently, wrapping her arms around her shoulders comfortingly so that Anya felt safe enough to rest. “I wonder if you remember the story, sparks told me you looked up to Saint-14" Marie begun thoughtfully, "tell me if you don’t want to hear it ok” she soothed before moving into a gentle retelling of the battle for twilight gap. she spoke of the fallen, the attack on the city and the one who led them. Anya seemed to respond well to stories although it was unclear whether the titan truly listened or just liked hearing the sound of others talking around her. she felt a little tense though as Marie's story progressed and on reaching the combined efforts of the guardians who fought them off, the titan seemed slightly more interested maybe. Marie of course focused on Saint-14 at the end and it was here that the warlock actually seemed to catch the titan's attention as Anya seemed entranced almost, Settling into silent comfort as she stared off vaguely. It was when Marie got to the last fight where the titan almost perked up, bringing a hand up to catch the warlocks, petting it lightly. It was her way of saying she had something to say so Marie leaned down to listen.

“He used his head....” Anya whispered in rough common before searching for her gaze.

Marie looked a little surprised at both her common and the fact she remembered and smiled, “yeah, he did, you remember story?” She asked. it was hard to talk to the titan on the few occasions she did try and speak because she often got stuck in random languages that she knew, the most common one being russian but she occasionally slipped into a strange, almost animalistic language that Marie guessed might have something to do with the hive. she seemed to understand most languages she knew if they were spoken to her but sometimes she just couldn't remember how to reply and the easiest way was to speak to her for a while and her language would 'correct itself' in a sense.

Anya looked a little unsure as if questioning herself before nodding slightly, “a little...”. she then carefully brought her hands up to her head and felt her hair before looking confused as if something was missing. “helmet...” she murmured as if trying to think of the words.

“You remember your helmet, the helm of Saint-14?” Marie assisted hopefully, it was a good sign if she was beggining to remember some things.

The titan again seemed unsure before nodding, although it seemed as though she was unconvinced by herself in a way. “purple light...” she sighed, “cold, safe...” she whispered.

Marie smiled gently and took one of the titans hands between her own before focusing her own void light. “like this?” she asked.

Anya nodded and looked content but tired, “remembers... unfocused...” she continued vaguely, almost giving a small smile. “mine was hard... Unbreakable” she murmured before looking distant, almost sad.

Marie considered the information with surprise, this was the most information she had yet to get from the broken titan and she couldn't help but feel a bit of pride. she smiled then and brought a hand back to her cheek affectionately, she had certainly developed a soft spot for her, “I never could figure out how titan's did it, my void only explodes” she admitted playfully.

Anya was quiet as she considered the words vaguely and after a moment moment, Marie almost thought that she had lost the titan again. she was surprised when Anya carefully caught the warlocks hands and held them together between her own. “focus... imagine single point in hands” she mumbled as she blindly manipulated her hands to clutch them in fists. Anya spoke slowly, as if it was hard to think or speak, perhaps both. “line connects... stretch but never break” she explained vaguely, opening her hands flat and pulling them apart slowly as if to show Marie how, “hold”.

Marie looked unsure at the sudden instructions, she was a little unprepared for the sudden lesson but she could understand the basics of what the titan meant. warlocks used their fingers to manipulate the light and she hadn’t thought about it before but titans did seem to use their fists. she’d thought it was just a choice and preference though but as she watched the titan's hands in the dim, she realised that there may have been a technique she didn't understand. “I don’t think I can do that, I’m a warlock” Marie mused although she looked thoughtful at the possibility.

Anya looked unsure at that before looking almost frustrated, “listen... light is cold... sharp... let it be...” she sighed and held the warlocks hands once more as if to show her again. “sings...” she added with an expectant whisper.

Marie bit her lip before sighing, there was no harm in trying if it made the titan happy. “ok, give me a second” she replied gently and shifted slightly befire closing her eyes to focus her light in her fists.

Anya nodded and pointed to her hands, again trying to help, “not together... apart but same... line...” she explained with tired frustration, as if it was easy.

Marie tried to understand but she was so used to putting the light in one point between her hands to it was hard to separate her fists. normally that broke the concentration but after a long moment, she felt Anya pull her hands apart slowly and she suddenly understood. The void tried to reach out from her hands, trying to stay connected to each other creating an invisible thread between, a tenous link in her mind that connected her hands. she felt the strain as the void stretched between her hands as she opened her palms feeling the light flex around her fingers. It was like Anya had described in a way and as she separated the two, the line threatened to break but she focused, keeping the line from snapping. It was hard but as she flicked out her hands and opened her eyes; she saw a small unsteady bubble in front of them and Marie was stunned.

Anya felt the void with a content sigh andrested a little heavier against her as if she had strained herself. “don’t fight... light takes on natural form if you listen” she whispered.

Marie smiled and the bubble popped as she lost her focus, “I see, maybe titans aren’t as dense as they look” she mused gently, thrilled at learning one of the secrets of the titan order's.

At that comment anya actually smiled briefly, looking nostalgic, but it was gone after a moment, “new understanding...” she sighed.

Marie was happy just to see the smile as brief as it was. “well you just taught a warlock so there’s that” she chuckled, bringing a hand to the titans head playfully. “do you want to lie Down?” She asked gently.

Anya seemed torn at the question before replying in a whisper, fear crossing her features as her hands found Marie's. “leaving?” she asked.

“No, I just want you to be comfortable” Marie assured gently.

At that, Anya reluctantly pulled away and shifted to lie down stiffly, freeing Marie briefly but her hand settled to hold the skirt of her robes still. The titan still felt pained in her movement's, not helped of course by the day's drama. The warlock was grateful to be semi free but after a moment, she carefully shifted to rearrange her pillows and she laid down with a stretch. with a tired yawn she rolled to her side and offered her hands to the titan, “is that better?”.

Anya seemed surprised for a second, looking almost hesitant before she affectionately brought the warlocks hands to her cheeks looking content, nodding gently. Marie was instantly thrown off by her next move though as the titan then caught her fingers so Anya could move her hands again and she pressed a kiss to the back of each gently. Marie blushed deeply with surprise as the gesture, in a normal situation that meant something different but this one, she wasn’t sure if that was a thank you or more than that. “oh, uh... well good” she nodded awkwardly, she was touched by the gesture regardless. “I’ll keep you company until sparks comes back” she promised.

Anya's gaze briefly found the warlock before she seemed to relax a little, holding the warlocks hands as tightly as she could manage with her own. With nothing much else to do, Marie ended up dozing off beside the titan as the night dragged on.


	5. Hope for the Damned

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With so much progress, how can you tell a warlock to resist the chance to study.

When morning broke, Marie stirred with a yawn. she hadn’t slept in her bed for what felt like ages and she certainly appreciated it for once over her couch, not that she complained. When she went to move, she was quickly stopped because she had forgotten and rediscovered that Anya was there beside her. she had cuddled right into her side in fact and the titan now held Marie in a tight hug, holding onto her for dear life almost. she had even closed her eyes, which was surprisingly rare and she seemed to actually be sleeping. It was another of Anya's odd traits in fact, they had discovered quite early on that she stayed safely between being stuck in her head and being overly aware of everything around her at all times. her awareness had only improved as she became more human and it was unsettling as she always stared unblinkingly wherever she was looking. It had become clear that despite her mixed signals, she was in fact blind so it was a mystery how she was able to track anyone before she got to the tower at all among other things. sleep wasn't really a thing Anya ever wanted because she didn't seem to trust that she was safe enough to sleep, it was almost unneeded as it didn't seem to bother her to go without either. if it affected her at all, Marie hadn't seen enough of an emotional range to be able to tell.

For now, considering Anya was sleeping for once, the warlock didn’t want to wake her and she was fortunate that the titan didn’t stir as she moved before. Her brief movement did however stir both esperer and iskra who lit up immediately and floated over. The titans ghost looked deeply apologetic as she approached and floated down to speak quietly with guilt. “I am so sorry, yesterday took so much longer than I thought it would” she whispered.

Marie was glad to see Iskra safe more than anything and shook her head gently, “it’s ok” she sighed, “but where did you go? Anya had a meltdown when she couldn’t find anyone, you can’t leave her alone like that or she will be discovered” she warned gently. “Not to mention she almost attacked me yesterday” she added uncertainly, “I think”.

Iskra looked surprised before seeming even more guilty and nodded with shame. “I know, I know, I just... Veta sent me a message and I had to arrange some things” she explained sounding flustered. “I arranged a place for her to stay in fact, that’s not here” she added quickly, “and I thought that, well, you might want your house back so I thought it was important” she finished with shame.

Marie looked taken aback at the information and took a moment to process it, how the hell she managed to get a place for herself was one thing but how would she look after Anya. The titan needed a physical carer and it was too dangerous for anyone else to even know she exists let alone anything else. The thought of losing the titan was oddly shocking as Marie felt almost upset at the idea that her titan would be taken away and not looked after properly but she quickly reminded herself that Anya wasn’t hers, she definitely wasn’t just a test subject. Marie bit her lip as she looked to the ghost questioningly, “but who will look after her? Where is this house? Can you do that?”.

Iskra looked uncomfortable at the questions, seemingly deciding to skip the thought of care for the moment. “Well, technically the house, it belonged to Anya, it’s ours” she sighed awkwardly. “uh, it’s a long story but, well, it was never cleared and it’s technically still in her name meaning I can stay there as the only uh, living, partner” she admitted. She then looked to Anya with uncertainty, “I haven’t figured out how I’ll look after her yet, but I thought that if you wanted, then you could have your house back and I’d take my guardian out of your hands so you can live normally again” she admitted before looking gratefully to the warlock. “You’ve done so much, I, we could never repay you, but I’d understand if you wanted your freedom” she sighed.

Marie looked a little flustered at the consideration the ghost offered and she was torn for a moment, it wasn’t like she disliked caring for the titan at all. In fact, the warlock had come around to the idea despite all the mess and difficulty the job offered. She decided not to voice this and focused on the strange fact that that Anya still had her house after so many years. “How did her house manage to be kept clear this whole time?” She asked with careful surprise.

Iskra settled on the bed gently, a habit of hers that had become quite obvious over the time of sharing a hone with her. She was a fan of sitting and talking, often settling on a soft surface to talk, almost as if she were about to gossip. She even pulled out her own red silk cushion if there wasn’t a soft surface around, creating her little gossip space. “Well, Anya used to have her house payment coming from her bank and she had quite a lot of savings before...” she trailed off a little awkwardly before picking up. “but when that was gone” she sighed with almost disbelief, “well, Veta heard they were going to clear her house and she took up the rent since she never stays at the tower anyway and she just stayed there occasionally if she needed too. once I can work then I can start paying again of course and I’ll figure it out from there” she promised.

Marie looked to the sleeping titan before looking back to the ghost with surprised awe, she was a little shocked that something so nice came from the very dangerous looking hunter who’d scared her that first day. “what took so long yesterday?” She asked carefully

Iskra once more looked guilty and nodded, “Well, It’s hard to catch up with Veta, she’s so quick and I had to chase her briefly before I was chasing down paperwork so I could start sorting things” she explained shyly, “I’m so sorry” she apologised, “I hope she wasn’t too bad...” 

Marie shook her head gently, she couldn’t be mad at the ghost when iskra was clearly trying her best to make it up to her. “It’s ok my sweet” she smiled, “she was extra clingy but otherwise she was ok once I sat down with her” she admitted. “she pulled out some hair and made a few new wounds but she settled eventually and I told her a story, or history more so. she remembers some things, in fact she remembered saint-14 and the helmet she had” she mused thoughtfully. she then chuckled as she remembered the night, “she actually taught me how to make a bubble too” she added, “it was a weird time all around I guess but it wasn’t as bad as I was expecting”.

Iskra looked surprised as the warlock spoke of the day before looking thrilled as she mentioned the bubble, “wonderful! Well the end, but that’s- I didn’t think she’d ever remember her old light!” She enthused as she looked to the titan affectionately. “this is good, I might never get her back but just maybe I can help her new normal” she sighed with content.

Marie bit her lip, she was a little disappointed in the ghosts response as she had conflicting thoughts but seeing how hopeful she was, she softened. “Sparks my sweet, are you really ok with this? To keep her like this” she murmured weakly, she couldn’t help but choke up almost at the thought but she had to mention it. “Is it worth it?” She asked quietly, “you might be in danger”.

Iskra froze at the question as she considered the words heavily. Perhaps she had gotten too used to having her titan back, as broken as she was. It was certainly kinder to end all of this, easier too. She wouldn’t have to find a way to look after her then, Anya would be free, but knowing the darkness would take her. The ghost already felt the absence of anya’s light, the thought of her being alone with that hole in her heart was beyond what she could handle. After a moment she made up her mind and looked to Anya. “I know what I said, that I would try to...” she trailed off weakly, pausing heavily. “I can’t let her go to the dark alone, I’d rather be killed by her own hands than leave her alone in the dark” she admitted softly, “and I can’t live without her, not after three hundred years... I wouldn’t know what to do with myself. Anya has always been my friend, my guard, my everything. I live for her” she finished sadly. 

Marie felt the ghost’s will like a cold knife in her heart and she teared up. “Three hundred years?” She asked gentle awe, surely that was just a number, only the leaders lived that long right?.

Iskra nodded looking a little prideful through her sorrow. “Yeah, she would hate me saying it but she is pretty old” the ghost joked weakly, “I found her on mars and we helped build the city you know” she admitted. 

Marie bit her lip, with that knowledge in mind, she could now understand why iskra had so much trouble with letting go, anyone would. The fact she was older than the city was just the cherry on top and suddenly she saw the titan in a new light. she was a founding titan, maybe not a famous one like Zavala or the iron lords but to fall like this. It was cruel and Marie finally nodded, “I support your choice” she assured gently. After an awkward sigh, she then looked to Anya as her stomach grumbled subtly, it gave a reason to change the topic to something more pleasant. “maybe you can take over for me” she offered, “I uh, I could use some tea and breakfast” she admitted awkwardly.

“Oh, of course!” Iskra gushed with embarrassment, “I’m sorry, again, I appreciate you” she enthused affectionately. Marie chuckled but before she could escape, the ghost smiled a little, “she seems to like you...” she observed.

Marie blushed at the comment looking shy, “oh I’m not sure, I think she was just glad someone was there, I just happened to be convenient” she murmured before gently taking the titans hand to start freeing herself. It was then that the gentle mood changed to intense tension as her small action appeared to be wrong thing to do. Anya reacted instantly and tightened her hold instinctively, to the point it was painful briefly as she woke up with fear. Marie froze as she mirrored the titans fear, she wasn’t expecting to be held hostage by the dangerously moody titan. “H-hey, shhh, it’s just me my sweet, you’re ok” she assured as soothingly as possible despite her deep discomfort.

Anya looked around quickly despite her blindness, as if expecting something to come and hurt her but after a moment, she seemed to hear Marie’s voice and began to calm. The titan loosened and shifted her hands carefully but remained very reluctant to let her go completely as she clutched the warlock close. After a moment to calm down herself, Marie relaxed a little as iskra carefully floated over the warlock to nudge Anya’s cheek gently. “I’m sorry Anya, I’m here now” she soothed carefully, unsure what to expect, “you-“. Iskra was instantly silenced as she was caught blindly by Anya who let out a strangled but grateful whimper. The titan held her close and completely freed the warlock as her attention was exclusively for her missing ghost. “I’ll take care of it” iskra assured to Marie after a tired sigh, “it’s only fair”.

Anya had begun to cry silently as if she’d feared the worse and didn’t respond, simply cuddling the ghost who was now trapped in her hands. While Marie had her reservations, she took the chance to get up as her body cried out for attention. “thank you, call if you need me at all ok?” she offered before escaping to to look after herself. After a shower to wash the titan’s cuddles off her and settling down with a tea, Esperer appeared to settle on the table beside Marie and looked up to her with concern. “are you ok? Did she hurt you?” She asked carefully, “you probably shouldn’t get so close to her” she urged weakly. “What if she hurts you?” She added, “plus you haven’t really had much of a break lately”.

Marie looked to the concerned ghost and pet her affectionately, she was used to her ghost mothering her and she had a good reason for doing so this time. “I’m tired, surprised and it was a shock, but I promise I’m fine, she can’t help being a handful, I don’t think she realises what she’s doing sometimes” she admitted gently. 

Esperer looked awkward as she replied, “but that puts you in danger, I just, I’m not so sure you should let her get that close anymore”.

Marie looked to her ghost gently before biting her lip, “I-“ she begun before losing her words awkwardly. The titan had certainly given her a reason to fear, but she couldn’t help but feel as if it wasn’t fair to hold it against her. Marie didn’t know what tortured her mind, she couldn’t see and if Anya truly thought she was in danger, then the reaction was valid. Anya wasn’t always like that though. “she doesn’t mean it, I don’t think she will hurt me on purpose” Marie finally admitted, “I think she was feeling good until I frightened her”. As the warlock considered the morning and the night before, she looked to the ghost with a gentle smile. “did you see the smile last night?” She asked, lighting up a bit, “I think she is doing better”.

Esperer looked torn before she nodded and smiled gently, “it was amazing” she admitted, “I started to think she didn’t have one”. The ghost then looked a bit depressed, “but you know, at this point. do you think she would even survive without you or someone like you looking after her?” She asked looked a bit timid.

Marie took a long drink from her tea before looking unsure, “well, she uh... lived... on the moon. I don’t think survival is the issue, not with what she, is? if you refer to what she is and does as...”, she trailed off as she looked for a word before continuing, “living” she continued with quotation marks. “I’m not certain” she sighed, “I think she needs more than a ghost to remain, well, human” she murmured, “and I’m not sure if I can be that support forever” she admitted. “as sweet as she is, I have work to do...” she looked guilty, “I’m not sure what to do because she is a risk to those around her and I almost have a duty to ensure she doesn’t hurt anyone now and if the only way besides, sleeping, then I don’t think that’s fair”.

Esperer looked toward the bedroom with a sigh, “you know what would be easier for everyone...” she murmured weakly.

Marie nodded solemnly, “I can’t do that without her ghosts permission and worse, I can’t kill a ghost if that’s the only way she would agree” she sighed. “perhaps it was a mistake to give her the chance to think about it but it’s too late, I can’t go back on my word now...” she added, looking depressed, “all I can do is hope she can actually get better”.

Esperer eyed her guardian with a mix of disappointment and understanding, as if torn between the two. She knew Marie had a big heart, she didn’t always have the strength to follow her heart but this time she did and it was unfortunate that she had chosen such a poor, if not dangerous soul. With things as they were, the warlock would almost lose her freedom completely, the ability to serve the vanguard at all could come into question, not to mention her own life interests would have to fall away. Everything was at stake, and that was beyond the fact that if anything went wrong, the titan could likely do a number of undiscovered horrendous things that would kill Marie painfully and permanently. It was certainly convenient in a way that after dreaming so long, things fell this way but she questioned if the traveller truly wanted this path. The thoughts depressed her so the ghost refocused and looked to Marie questioningly, “so, What about this house idea then? You know the idea is hard to sell” Esperer suggested.

Marie nodded in agreement but looked thoughtful. “well, I don’t know” she replied gently, “I guess I’d have to see the house just to see how viable it is, if it’s safe for her to live in potentially with just her ghost. I mean I can’t believe it’s still in her name to begin with” she added, “but it would be nice to get my house back” she finished quietly. After a thought, she then bit her lip, “although all that creates its own problems too”.

Esperer looked a little confused at that, “Problems?” She repeated questioningly.

Marie chuckled lightly, “Well I’ll need to clean this place, somehow, and get a new bed” she added, shivering as she remembered the growth that she found. “not to mention I’ll probably be so used to looking after her at that point That I’ll have to adjust to it just being us again” she sighed.

Esperer nodded, all those were good points, the warlock had taken very well to looking after the titan, not to mention, from a warlock point of view, it offered opportunity to help others. “Right, and even I can’t deny the interest she has, she just has a fascinating study potential” she admitted awkwardly.

Marie laughed quietly at that and sipped her tea. “That too” she agreed before looking thoughtful, “I’m not sure if I’m ready to study her yet, but I certainly want to one day if I get the chance” She agreed. “I’d like to find out why her wounds aren’t healing properly among other things, not to mention how she is even still alive. I suspect there might be something wrong with her throat too that maybe I could help with” Marie admitted, “and she is a wonderful example of how the darkness takes too it’s victims too...”. The warlock pulled herself up with a shake of her head, “I’ve taken notes, but I just feel as if it’s too intrusive to study her properly as of the moment. she is a, an acquaintance for the moment” she sighed. “Don’t get me wrong. I have ideas on testing if she is truly blind too, eris I don’t think is blind and it makes me wonder if Anya is truly blind or if there’s something else going on....” she trailed off thoughtfully before shaking her head again as her thoughts slipped. “but that’s stepping into territory I’m not comfortable with working in yet, I don’t want to treat her like just a research subject, she is or was a person, I’d like to treat her like one still” marie added finally. 

After a moment, the ghost agreed. While there were definitely moments that Anya wasn’t human, it felt cruel to consider her just a test subject though. Esperer floated up thoughtfully with a sigh, “you have a point, I just worry that maybe she’s getting too attached to you sometimes”. she then looked to Marie, “and I worry you are getting too close too” she added gently.

Marie bit her lip awkwardly, they were certainly possibilities. “I worry too a little” she replied with a light blush, she certainly couldn’t deny that she was an emotional person. “I don’t entirely understand her all the time, but if she becomes too dependant on me then It’s going to be hard on her when I start working every day again” she begun before finishing her tea with a sigh, “but I suppose I’ll deal with it when I have too, as for me... perhaps I’m too soft” she smiled awkwardly, “but I’m sure we can figure it out. Marie stood and started to busy herself in the kitchen as she collected her thoughts, deciding on her chores for the day, “want to come shopping with me?” She asked. 

Esperer lit up and nodded, “Sounds fun” she replied happily.

Anya barely let iskra go for a good day or so much to her slight annoyance but she thought it a fair punishment for evidently scaring the titan like she did but a new problem soon arose. Iskra wanted to move on her plans to move the titan, in turn giving the warlock her freedom back and Marie hadn’t mentioned her thoughts properly yet. The ghost wanted to start with showing The warlock the apartment she was planning on moving into but since they couldn’t leave the titan alone and taking her anywhere was a danger in itself, they weren’t sure how to go about it. The idea had made Marie had start to think about trying to get the titan out for a change of scene, both for her own own sake but also, for Anya. It had begun to feel cruel trapping her in the warlocks bedroom exclusively.

It was when she was undressing from her robes that she paused mid thought. Anya liked the feel of some of her armour and while she stayed out of the way, she currently laid on the bed on her side. Her head was towards the end of the bed and she somewhat lazily reached out to grab the warlocks robes in her hand. She liked the texture of the rougher cloth and it was good for keeping her busy while Marie was getting ready to either go out or relax. Iskra was very chatty normally and it was a few words that made her stop. 

“Anya always thought that warlock armour was strange, but she claimed she loved unwrapping warlocks, it was satisfying” iskra joked.

Marie’s style was very conservative, much like her armour and as she glanced to the lazing titan, she realised that she was pretty much all covered other than her head, hands and feet. It was to keep her warm because she had trouble with her own warmth but it offered an opportunity. “What is she wears warlock armour?” Marie finally murmured thoughtfully. 

Both the ghosts paused at the random comment but Esperer was first to reply, knowing just what to say. “Go on” she mused.

Marie slipped her overcoat off gently and set it beside Anya gently before starting to pace as she thought. appearance wise, it was easy to tell something was wrong with her, the black blood tears and drool were a dead giveaway beyond the corpse like shade of skin she had. That was all without her reliance on the warlock and her walking ability. she could however be covered up almost completely by armour and once she could walk enough, she would look fine to an outside gaze. The next concern was her darkness and in armour, she could absolutely suppress it enough to go for a walk in armour. not to mention, Marie's civilian wardrobe was full of clothes that looked very warlockesque anyway so in an emergency, she could get away with an excuse. If armour was an option, Titans armour was probably too heavy for her right now, if she would ever feel comfortable wearing it ever again given that it had become her grave. Marie settled down beside the titan thoughtfully to propose the idea to her and the ghosts.

“Hey my sweet” Marie greeted gently, shifting the overcoat to find her hands. It took a moment to get anya’s attention but she turn to stare at her vaguely. “I have an idea, do you want to come for a walk with me? It won’t take long” she promised lightly. To begin with, if Anya didn’t want to leave, there was no point pushing her idea further. 

Anya seemed to ponder the idea before squeezing her hands a little uncertainly. She seemed to get confused as she looked for the words, luckily they came out in common today. “stay with you?” She whispered, “iskra?”.

Marie nodded and shifted a hand to her cheek lovingly, “Of course my sweet” she soothed, “I might even carry you if your lucky” she mused.

Anya squeezed her hand gently as she considered this, leaning into her hand affectionately. “where?” She sighed.

Marie smiled, the titan was almost cute when she was relaxed. Childish perhaps but she was certainly sweet. “Somewhere special, you might recognise it” she replied thoughtfully and gently freed herself from the titan. 

Iskra looked confused and floated over to Marie questioningly. “But how? Everyone’s going to know”.

The warlock nodded in agreement, “indeed they will, but think about it” She begun, motioning to what Anya was wearing. “She’s practically wearing light warlock armour, i dress the same out of armour, so what if we put her in actual warlock armour. Anya would be completely covered and we could shield her with the same armour so she isn’t as, obvious” she offered, looking almost excited.

Esperer looked almost as if she would argue for a moment but after a thought, she nodded. “It could work, and it doesn’t have to be heavy armour” she added.

“Exactly” Marie agreed, “and the only problem would be if Anya didn’t want to go, and she does” she added. Despite the conversation happening around her, the titan had spaced out and started playing with the warlocks undercoat absently.

Iskra seemed to consider it before sighing, “well it would be kinda nice to see her in some armour again, and no one is going to question a guardian if they feel a little off” she added thoughtfully. “Ok, yeah, let’s do it” she finally agreed carefully.

Marie smiled and looked to Anya, she needed a bath again but it looked like it was going to be pretty easy to get ready, they could make the trip another day though if needed. “Well we can go when you want then, providing Anya is up for it” she replied cheerfully as she got up carefully to finish undressing. 

Iskra eyed the titan thoughtfully, she’d been stuck at Marie’s house just as long as everyone else and she’d be lying if she said she wasn’t looking forward to getting out, even if it was barely a few minutes. “How about today?” She offered.

Marie looked surprised, it was late afternoon but she could work with that. “Sure, though it will take a little, I’ll get started in fact”. She was almost excited about the thought of helping the titan escape her confines briefly. 

With that, the ghosts seemed to both share some excitement about leaving mixed with hesitance but they were keen. Marie first finished undressing herself, leaving just her bio suit on since it was easy to wash and she had others she could wear. While she could bathe Anya in her armour, it was more inconvenient to clean her armoured layers so she preferred not having to do exactly that. Now that Marie was set, she turned her attention to Anya who focused on her vaguely once more. 

Anya looked unsure, likely having forgotten the conversation only minutes earlier but she didn’t fight the warlock as Marie took the opportunity to not only bathe her but to replace her bandages as well. She then replaced her light borrowed pj’s with a very light set of armoured robes. With the extra layers of the biosuit, the under and over coats, it was almost easy to cover anya’s tracks with light shielding and it was certainly satisfying as Marie wrapped the titan up with care in the many layers of protection. She helped put on some thin cloth gloves and warlock wraps as well as boots with care. When she was finished with those, she was already looking like a guardian again, She was smaller than most, other than her height in which she was actually a few inches taller than Marie. Her face was really the only give away by the end of it and it was a little hard to hide with her sickly grey skin and ominously misty grey eyes. Her hair remained unhealthy and sickly looking but she looked great mostly as she was still clean from her bath. 

Anya was surprisingly patient through the whole ordeal, never complaining other than when her weakness meant that she had to lean on the warlock a little heavier. When sitting, the titan never sat up straight, even if she appeared to try too sometimes, she always looked as though she was ready to fall over. Iskra suspected she was as patient as she was because even in ‘life’, the titan had loved being looked after and spoiled so perhaps she enjoyed the attention a little. Anya had long forgotten why she was being given extra attention but looked a mix of mildly happy and anxious with the anticipation in the air. When she was done, Marie tidied up anya’s hair and face gently, she could almost just pass for a normal blind awoken if her skin looked slightly healthier so after a moment of thought, she looked thoughtful. “My sweet, do you think you can close your eyes until I tell you to open them?” Marie asked gently, it was a long shot since the titan didn’t like closing her eyes but it was worth a try.

Anya looked vaguely torn as she considered the question but finally shook her head in refusal. Marie didn’t push the point and gave her a hug, “that’s ok my sweet” she assured gently. “Now I’m going to get ready really quickly so can you just stay here for a little?” She asked instead, “it won’t be long, I promise”. Anya agreed to this vaguely so it was easy for Marie to escape and put on her armour again. Once she’d gotten herself ready, Marie then got anya’s helmet and looked a bit hesitant as she sat down beside her. She wasn’t sure if the titan would respond well to a helmet or not but after a moment of uncertainty where Anya seemed to get a bit claustrophobic, she was ok. Marie didn’t blame her really, her last armour set had been her grave. 

Anya brought her hands up to her helmet almost thoughtfully before she blindly felt for Marie, seeming almost blinder than before as she fumbled her way from the warlocks lap to lean into an uncertain hug. A hand felt for her cheek though as if checking it was Marie, she was stopped by a helmet though. Marie let the titan adjust before catching her hands carefully and shifting to stand in front of her. “Are you ready to go for a walk with me?” She asked gently. Anya looked surprised at the mention, proving that she had long forgotten the idea, but she nodded and squeezed her hands cautiously. Marie smiled and moved to support her, “ok, up we go, just a short walk” she continued carefully. 

While Anya had recovered a certain amount of strength back from her brush with the moon, it was mostly through being fed, not from physical activity so while she could now walk, it wasn’t for long. honestly, Marie questioned how far she could get with both her balance and energy but Regardless, Anya seemed quite determined. She almost seemed to want to prove herself as she allowed the warlock to help her to her feet. She could only shuffle for the first few steps as she blindly adjusted to the strange weight of her armour but with the warlocks guidance, she was led out to the living room which she had only been a few times. 

Marie let her lean on the lounge for a moment as she arranged the door but it seemingly wasn’t quick enough as anya’s curiosity of the new area found her tripping over her feet, she was caught in the warlocks arms as she returned from the front door. It took a moment for Anya to relax from the slight fright but Marie looked thoughtful. “Here, let’s try this instead” she soothed as She gently shifted to kneel in front of the titan. “How about I carry you this time” she offered. 

Anya seemed to vaguely consider the words as Marie led her hands, it seemed almost that her pride got in the way for just a moment before the titan managed to blindly feel her way to hop on the warlocks back. Marie wasn’t quite sure if she was completely capable of carrying her but she must have found the strength somewhere as she set a hand on the lounge to help herself up before she supported anyas legs. Anya seemed to instinctively hold on and settled her head on the warlocks shoulder with a content sigh. 

Marie was surprised by the turn of events as they begun the walk to this fabled apartment that somehow anya still owned. It was late by now so while the tower was still alive, the streets were quiet, people had retreated to their homes and somehow, it came to the warlocks attention that she had seemingly become stronger than she realised. Marie had always been a bit of a weakling, in both her will and physical strength. She knew for a fact that once upon a time that Marie would never do such a thing in her life, let alone be physically able to do what she had grown accustomed too. Carrying around a titan, even one such as Anya who was smaller, weaker, more starved. Even so, to be able to carry her, Marie found herself feeling pride.

“Are you ok?” Esperer asked carefully as they made their way up the vacant streets. 

Marie nodded, “yes, this is surprisingly easy” she replied with a chuckle, “I hope I’m going the right way though” she admitted.

“Oh right, sorry, I forgot, just a few more doors up” iskra piped up quickly as she shared the destination. 

Anya seemed to hold the warlock a little tighter for a moment as if trying to thank her but she seemed tired and her hold loosened again. Marie didn’t waste time as she continued, not wanting to push the titan too hard and it was barely a minute before she was standing in front of a digitally marked door that unlocked at her touch. She was surprised yet again because she didn’t realise that iskra had actually meant that the apartment was so close to her own, and if fact it was barely five or six doors up. It was a wonder that she’d never met the titan sooner if this was where she lived. Marie was briefly stunned before she awkwardly let herself inside, The house was dark currently but as the door shut behind them, the lights flickered on with iskra’s command, revealing the somewhat immaculate apartment they now stood in.

The difference between Marie and anya’s house was stark. the warlocks house was always an organised mess of paperwork on most surfaces outside of her bedroom, She kept her bedroom clear because of Anya exclusively. the titan’s old house while dusty was spotless, It was built as more of a family house by the looks with a more spacious living area and a spare bedroom downstairs. It took only a few steps to find a small kitchen and bathroom but the biggest surprise was the Carpeted stairs that led to a top floor. while the rest of the house was somewhat bare of personality, it became immediatly evident that the top floor was where the anya had lived once. Her bedroom was centered by a large double bed that was clearly made and long since left. a red doona cover with the titans hexagon on it decorated the bed with neat stacks of pillows while A titans flag hung above her headboard just as proudly. The true surprise was the walls of the room though and Marie was stunned into silence as she laid her eyes on various trophies from long forgotten conquests. Anya had mounted shock blades, fallen weapons and cabal armoury on the wall, there was even the odd vex piece but limited hive trinkets.

Marie still carried the titan to save her from the stairs but she found herself giving the titan a side look of awe before looking to her ghost who had appeared proudly. “did she collect all of this before?” Marie asked quietly.

Iskra nodded and gazed at the trophies with pride, “yeah, she insisted on it. Anya liked remembering the things that she had done” she admitted before sighing. “it was never to brag or anything, I feel like I should say that, but it was always just to remember. She respected her past and what built her” the ghost explained. 

Marie was quiet as she pondered the stories that faced her, she couldn’t help but wonder what those stories were. She decided to change the topic after a moment and sighed.”Was she always this neat?” She asked with a chuckle. 

Iskra looked surprised at the question, she hadn’t even considered that it would be odd for everything to still be in place. “Yeah, she broke her armour once and her ocd went through the roof” the ghost admitted with a chuckle before looking excited. “Oh, if you like that, you should see her armoury” she pushed playfully before darting past. Iskra continued down the top floor hallway to another spare room, this one however was full of shelving. The contents of the room was incredible as Pieces of armour were neatly placed along the shelves in pairs or by themselves depending on the item. There was even spaces between items and what she assumed was her favourite sets of armour were hung neatly on various armour stands. Marie was getting tired by now so she gently set the titan down and looked around with awe, supporting Anya as she did. “she must be so much more experienced than me...” she admitted with an envious sigh.

Anya herself was mostly confused, she recognised that this place was different to Marie’s because the dusty scent and feel of the place. as The warlock set her down, allowing her to lean heavily, her hands seemed to want to wander curiously to find out where she was but Marie stopped her gently with the fear of knocking something down. “Careful” she warned gently.

Iskra looked thoughtfully at anya’s curiousity and smiled, “oh, she might like this, sit her down for a moment” she ordered cheerfully before motioning to a beat up metal helmet with a worn Mohawk on its head. Marie reached up to pick it up with awe, she recognised the helmet as a reconstruction of the legendary helm of saint-14, or she guessed it was, she saw a few helmets around but this one was dented and damaged so she wasn’t sure. Once the titan was settled on the floor, marie gently put the helmet in her lap and Anya looked confused briefly as she carefully kept the metal in her hands. For a moment, it appeared that she wouldn’t remember before lighting up as she recognised the telltale Mohawk. She ran a hand over the front plates with a content sigh and teared up whispering quiet words that Marie missed.

“What was that my sweet?” Marie asked gently, leaning in to hear her. 

“Home?” Anya repeated questioningly, she sounded exhausted and she seemed to lean a bit heavier against the wall but the titan seemed to understand where they were.

Marie pulled back with some surprise and teared up a little, the words filled her chest with a joy she wasn’t expecting. “That’s right, this is your home, not mine. do you remember?” She asked gently.

Anya looked torn between a yes or no, instead looking to where her helmet was in her lap fondly before giving it back awkwardly. She then looked around before feeling around her with uncertainty, as if she was looking for something. “help” she whispered bringing her hands up to find Marie once more.

The warlock nodded and put the helmet back first before trying to help the titan lead her. Once back on her feet, It took a minute or so before Anya led them back to her bedroom where she looked confused as she lost her bearings but she finally made it to the bed looking tired but determined. She naturally upset all the dust but finally found her way into her bedside table leaving dusty smudges where she touched but she found a sturdy looking tablet and she fumbled with it, giving it to Marie after finding her hands. “Shaxx” she whispered.

Marie watched with confusion before the pin dropped as she spoke the crucible handlers name, the fact she remembered where to look was one thing but the fact that she remembered everything else was almost a miracle. “is this what you used to watch crucible?” The warlock asked gently. Anya nodded and Marie turned the tablet to face the right way, seeing if it still had any charge. As it flickered life, Marie flicked through to find the crucible feed. she hadn’t even considered the thought of letting Anya listen to the crucible fearing that it would frighten her but the titan almost seemed excited as the warlock started streaming the current game, just as Shaxx lost his mind and yelled out a triumphant yes. Anya jumped with surprise before giving a small smile as the familiar sounds seemed to comfort her, she seemed more than content to listen to Shaxx berate the two teams despite the random loud calls.

Iskra watched quietly, almost as if she couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Anya remembered so much and the ghost felt nostalgic. “She used to love watching crucible..” the ghost admitted gently, “something about enjoying his voice or something... I never understood it myself but every night, she’d watch a game or two with a coffee. we would watch it together, to relax, to pass the time. I can’t believe she remembers”.

Marie looked to the ghost with gentle amusement and set the tablet on the bed for the moment, allowing the titan to keep listening. “well, I thought it would scare her to listen to, i thought fighting might trigger something. if I had of known, maybe it could have been easier” she sighed and looked to Anya thoughtfully. “you are a strange one” she murmured to herself before talking to the titan, “how about we stay here for tonight? Would you like that?”.

Anya looked up to her words, you could see her considering them, in fact it was the most focused she almost ever been. She nodded before finding the warlocks hands to pull her lightly as she fumbled to lay down, trying to convince her to stay in her own way. Marie smiled at the gesture and stopped her gently. “Not yet my sweet, there’s a few things I want to do first ok. first things first, some dusting” she admitted as she eyed the disturbed dust on the doona. “can I clean up your bed before you get comfy? It won’t take long” she promised. 

Anya seemed a little disappointed, almost frustrated but nodded, allowing the warlock to move her to the floor briefly but she remain expectant, holding her hands together as if to keep herself focused. Marie made it quick as she carefully folded up the doona as not to upset too much more of the dust and set it on the floor for the moment, she replaced the pillow cases and remade the bed with clean bedding and a layer to absorb any leakage that her armour wouldn’t absorb from her wounds. She then helped the titan settle into her bed and took off her shoes and helmet, choosing to leave her in everything else but loosening it all a little. Anya looked happy once the tablet was set up on her bedside table and she seemed content to listen to it in bed with iskra settled in her hands. Marie took the chance to escape with the dusty bedding and she headed downstairs with a sigh. This place was big enough both she and anya could live here more than comfortably which was a bit surprising but it made for a bigger area to clean.

Esperer appeared to fly beside her curiously and looked at Marie, “this place is pretty nice. I wonder how she got such a nice place to begin with? Wall duty can’t pay that well can it?” She asked playfully. The warlock laughed in response, before the ghost looked more serious, “these kinds of places are expensive, it’s gonna be hard for her to live here by herself, even if sparks can afford it” she admitted with concern. 

Marie nodded with agreement and sighed with guilt, her thoughts were the same, “exactly what I was thinking and with everything she has on her walls like the swords, not to mention on the top floor itself”. she paused looking unsure “the only thing I can think of is moving in with her to help since I’m one of two people who knows she even exists, but even with my help, I’m just not sure if this place is too much for her” Marie muttered.

Esperer looked surprised at the mention and floated closer as she spoke quieter, “That’s a lot of effort, I mean... not that she isn’t worth it but”. The ghost trailed trailed off with uncertain guilt, “you could permanently become her carer, are you ready for that?” She asked.

It was a lot to consider but after a long thought, Marie bit her lip, “I don’t know” she replied as she moved to the kitchen to look around. despite the dust, anya had obviously left it in good condition, like everything else, the fridge wasn’t so pleasant but that was almost expected. Marie decided to tidy up, throwing out what she needed too and wiping away the dust. She decided she had to replace everything other than maybe the pasta and a few other long life things so she created a shopping list, making a note to ask what kinds of things anya liked to eat. While it wasn’t the biggest of jobs, it took a good hour or so to finish up the room completely before moving onto the bathroom which unsurprisingly was also pretty neat and tidy. there was a few things that escaped washing but that was likely due to the suddenness of everything, it appeared as though she had expected to come home which was a little depressing to know.

Marie decided to leave the cleaning there though, finally returning to the bedroom to check on the titan. Anya was still in bed where she was left and looked up to the quiet footsteps as if expecting her. She raised a hand to prompt attention and Marie kneeled beside the bed to greet her with a chuckle. “Hello my sweet, how are you doing?” She mused gently.

Anya found the warlocks hands blindly and tried once more to convince her to get in bed with her, pulling her hands under the covers expectantly with a light frown. Marie looked unsure, she’d never seen the titan this active before. Clingy was common, absent even, but this much focus was rare, especially for long periods. “what’s all this about?” She mused gently, “are you lonely?”.

Anya looked unsure on how to reply but shifted to pat the empty side of the bed and whisper. Marie missed it in the dim light of the room. The titan never spoke as her first reply, it was usually her last effort to be understood because it hurt her, since Marie never expected the titan to talk, she missed her words a lot since she was so quiet. she leaned in to hear her repeat it gently, “space... rest...” elsie whispered tiredly. 

Marie paused as she realised the meaning of the words, the titan was trying to look after her despite everything. It wasn’t the first time she’d seen signs of Anya thinking of her carer but it was certainly the first time she was so forward about it and the warlock felt a little flustered. “You aren’t worried about me are you?” Marie asked with surprise.

Anya looked a little relieved that she understood and pet the bed again with a small nod. Iskra however rolled her eye with exasperation, “well that makes sense, of course she is more worried about everyone else rather than herself, some things never change” she teased affectionately. 

Marie blushed a little at that and chuckled, “oh, well I’m fine” she promised lightly, “but that’s sweet of you, I appreciate the thought”. 

Anya seemed to sigh looking a little frustrated, almost defeated before looking around to search the bed blindly, after a moment she pulled out a book from under her pillows and offered it to the warlock clumsily with almost annoyed expectation, forcing it on her. Marie took it gently and flicked through the older looking book with confusion. it appeared be a diary maybe and it had pages of neat writing in it so it was clearly used. she quickly realised it must have been anya’s old diary and she blushed deeply, “oh, I shouldn’t be reading this” she murmured with embarrassment as she snapped it shut.

Anya found her hands once more and pushed the book back towards her to make her point clearer, she wanted the warlock to have the book. “Me” she whispered simply.

Marie got even more flustered and stumbled over her words, “Well, yes, but this is private, it’s rude to read someone else’s diary” she muttered shyly.

The titan shook her head and brought a hand to her throat looking a little depressed before once more pushing the book to the warlocks chest. “me” she whispered once more, “please”.

Marie tried to resist before giving up with a defeated sigh. “ok, yes, it’s yours, I get that, but why?” She asked weakly, hoping for a reason. Anya took a long moment before finding one of the warlocks hands and positioning it so she could make a weak handshake. She looked exhausted now, more so mentally than physically but it was clearly affecting her so much that she was running out of energy to put into a conversation. Marie understood the gesture though and with a moment to connect the dots, she looked surprised. “You want to introduce yourself?” She asked carefully.

Anya nodded, looking a relieved to finally get her point across before she patted the space beside her again and The warlock bit her lip at the titans persistence. “ok, ok, you don’t give it up do you” she sighed, “well, don’t have clothes other than my armour so I can’t” she apologised. “I don’t want to dirty your bed” she added gently although She realised irony of that sentence as she said it, her eyes moving to look at the titans black stained face and the armour she technically still wore.

Anya looked unsure at that, seemingly scheming almost before pulling at the armour and finding one of the clips as if to suggest taking it off and Skye blushed deeply. “I have nothing else to wear” she rushed awkwardly, catching her hands. This seemed to frustrate the titan who shook her head and pulled at her own borrowed clothes before looking around and letting out another weak defeated sigh.

Iskra watched quietly looking thoughtful as she read the titans actions to her best ability. Some things were vague but she knew her guardian well enough that she understood most of her vague motions. “do you mean to say she can borrow some of your clothes if they fit?” Iskra asked gently and anya nodded. “Oh, of course, that’s a good idea, but-” she paused to size up the warlock, “well they won’t even fit you properly anymore so what’s the harm right?” She sighed to herself before looking to Marie coyly. “I’ll show you to her stuff if you like, just try and keep it neat but I mean., what’s the difference in Anya wearing armour to bed and you doing the same?”.

Marie cleared her throat awkwardly, wanting to argue but she knew there was no argument to make. seeing how determined anya was to try and look after her though was heartwarming and she didn’t have the heart to say no anymore, particularly after being called out. this was the most life anya had had yet, “Ok, ok, you guys win” she finally muttered as she shifted to start taking off her more uncomfortable pieces of armour and loosening the cloth for comfort. 

On hearing her victory, Anya for a final time patted the spare side of the bed beside her and Marie finally shifted to sit on the bed where she was directed. She found a loophole though as she sat on the bed rather than getting in the bed. this didn’t seem to please the titan either who seemed unhappy about her finding a loop hole. “You’re quite needy aren’t you” Marie teased gently, putting a hand on her head. 

The titan paused at that as if deciding how to respond and she looked stumped. there was only so much she could say with two hands and a tired body on top of a barely functioning mind at times. Her day had evidentially been big because she was looking exhausted, her focus now was incredibly hard to keep judging by just how she seemed barely able to find the will to reply anymore. marie sighed in playful defeat, “ok, ok, don’t hurt yourself” she mused, shifting to lay on her side “is that more to your liking?” She asked.

The titan nodded and found the warlocks hands to hold them before shifting and leaning closer to whisper, “thank you”. Anya then felt her way to Marie’s shoulders to pull her into a hug light making her blush and awkwardly hug back.

Marie couldn’t help but smile, the titan was honest and sweet, it was hard not to find something to like in her. “It’s ok, I uh-you’re not that annoying” she teased gently, rubbing her back supportively. “I’m just glad I can help, I know it’s hard for you” she assured.

Anya let out a sigh, “your warm... light is warm...” she admitted, her voice was starting to sound particularly pained now as a little more blood began to escape her lips. “safe” she finished.

“My light?” Skye replied with gentle surprise, “is that why you like holding my hands?”.

Anya nodded before nuzzling into the warlocks chest looking content, “everything is bright, lots of light but yours is warm...” she whispered looking content.

“I thought you were blind?” Marie asked curiously, she couldn’t help but ask as Anya prompted questions.

“Can’t see... but also can..” she looked unsure as she considered how she should continue. She was taking longer and longer to reply but Marie remained patient. “see while touching, blind otherwise... too much light” she murmured before bringing a hand to her throat uncomfortably, too much talking caused her pain.

“I’m sorry, I’ll stop asking questions” Marie assured gently with guilt, “but it’s nice to know, you should try and sleep, rest up. It’s been a big day” she soothed.

Anya nodded and reluctantly pulled away to settle on her side of the bed again politely but she clearly wanted to cuddle, looking disappointed even in her exhaustion. Marie thought about the new information for a moment before shifting to get under the covers, getting comfortable before offering the titan her hand. Anya took it happily and it didn’t take long for her to relax enough to finally fall asleep after inching a little closer. Marie looked thoughtful before looking around curiously. “sparks?” She asked quietly.

The ghost appeared at her request instantly looking cheerful, “yeah?”.

“Did you know about that? What she can see?” Marie asked with gentle curiously.

Iskra looked unsure, she’d noticed some things but she couldn’t tell for sure with a lot of Anya's new quirks. “well, I think she tried to explain it once but I didn’t understand. it’s hard to get her to talk long enough to understand her properly” she sighed, “it hurts her too much”. The ghost paused as she further considered the question and shrugged, “I guess it makes sense in a way and it explains why she is so touchy, even with me, she never used to hold me this much, not that I have a problem with it...” she assured.

“I wonder if she could see better away from the tower...” marie mused thoughtfully before looking to iskra. “so then do you think she likes me because of my light or because I’m looking after her...” she asked curiously.

Iskra smiled instantly and laughed, “Oh, that’s easy, she likes you because your kind, she never wanted to be a burden on anyone which was why she protected instead. Obviously things have changed but I see it, the shame she feels sometimes. she has no choice of course but she appreciates you a lot” she assured. “Saying that though, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that she might like you for other reasons too” she admitted “I know she had a thing for awoken women once, not to mention women in general. With the whole hive thing to boot, there’s definitely a chance there’s other factors” she muttered.

Marie blushed at the thought that Anya might consider her more than a carer, the warlock wondered if she was even capable of that sort of intense emotion anymore since she had become so simple. “oh, uh... I mean, she, you have some good points” she agreed and bit her lip. “I guess it makes sense being awoken herself that she has extra sensitivities” she agreed.

Iskra laughed again looking cheeky, “Oh no, she always said she likes the way the light felt In awoken people in general, there is a definite possibility, she has always been really sensitive to light so it might just have become better, or worse” iskra explained, “which makes me wonder sometimes how she coped, or still copes...” she trailed off thoughtfully. “but I suppose that’s where you come in, you have done so much for us... I wouldn’t be surprised you are one of the things keeping her sane at this point” she assured.

Marie swallowed awkwardly, she wasn’t good with compliments, “You know, i guess as a titan, you don’t expect them to be overly affectionate” she admitted. “The most of them are gruff and serious, tough people, even Anya once” she trailed off. Marie still remembered the dreams that begun all this, the stoic nature that shone in the way she walked, talked and led the warlocks out of danger. She appeared invincible almost yet this broken titan in front of her, she seemed like a different person. It was odd that iskra insisted that this was flickers of who Anya was once. 

Iskra looked to the titan with an affectionate sigh, “she was always a completely different person behind closed doors, always happy and friendly of course but at home she was not as straight as you’d expect” she admitted, “always highly ocd of course but uh, she liked company and drinks, she has been described as a parental type, bad jokes included” she mused. “she was the worst when she was drunk because she was always either the worst, bluntest comedian or just ridiculously cuddly and she got into trouble a lot. She would usually get into trouble, well, not because she’d get herself into a situation she didn’t want to be in but, she would wound a mans pride when she hit on the females instead” she teased.

Marie resisted a laugh and smiled, eyeing the titan thoughtfully. “maybe one day she will be able to have a drink again, who knows, what did she like drinking?” She asked curiously.

“I can only hope” iskra replied before smiling, “vodka with anything sweet, she always had a sweet tooth when it didn’t involve coffee. She used to always have a bottle in the house, Anya used to say-“ she paused to prepare her voice before continuing, “is good cheap fun, goes with anything like me” she finished before laughing quietly. “A lot of people liked her but the same amount probably found her too much, she had a good heart though, no one could ever argue that” she sighed looking nostalgic. After a thought, she then looked to Marie, “just know she probably wishes she could do more for you, which is why she was trying to convince you to rest. she would try and look after you better if she could, that much I know for certain, she just doesn’t have the facilities to do so anymore” she looked depressed for a moment. “Anya means well I guess, that’s my point, I think she feels more comfortable now she knows she is home, I haven’t seen her so content since, well...” she muttered.

Marie looked to the dozing titan thoughtfully “she has been through a lot, she doesn’t need to look after me” she assured, “but I appreciate the thought” she assured with a gentle smile. “I wish I’d gotten to know her better when she was complete” she admitted before yawning, “thank you anyway sparks, you rest up too ok”. The ghost gave a nod and settled beside her guardian, powering down and it wasn’t long before Marie reluctantly settled into sleep herself, holding Anya’s hand supportively. 


	6. A New Arrangement

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Living with the darkness isn't as bad as you'd think.

The next morning was quiet, Marie was pretty comfortable considering that once upon a time, anya had definitely spent big glimmer on a mattress for kings. it was hard to pull herself from sleep since she was so comfortable sleeping on a cloud and she once again forget where she was until she realised she was being cuddled by Anya again. it was only the second night that she'd allowed herself to be so close to anya in this manner and she still wasn’t sure how to feel about it. There had certainly been concerns that with the nature of Anya’s illness, it might affect Marie but so far, she seemed ok. In fact the only thing that was dangerously close to not ok was the fact that Anya had made herself very comfortable beside Marie, so much so that of her hands had slipped under a layer or two to hold her waist comfortably making Marie blush deeply. Anya looked so comfortable though that she couldn’t bring herself to wake the titan knowing she didn’t get much actual sleep and she was clearly content. Instead marie settled into some reluctant reading since Anya had insisted so much and she had time to pass. 

At first it felt incredibly awkward reading the diary and personal thoughts of the person beside her. She couldn’t help but wonder if anya would have done the same in a different mind but she convinced herself that it wasn’t as bad a crime if anya herself had insisted she read it. Marie’s hesitance slowly changed to fascination though as her curiosity won out and she begun to appreciate seeing how the titan had once thought about things. She guessed that this was the titan’s best attempt to try and give the warlock an idea of who she is, or at least who she was once.

Marie learned a few things about the titan as she became enthralled in the day to day life of a yester titan. she didn’t write in the diary every day, instead she averaged an entry about once a week or so and it was kind of a recap. she spoke about things she wanted to remember like a particularly nice alcohol she liked or a food she had wanted to learn how to make along other things. She also wrote down some field tips that she picked up from any guardian she came across, no class seemed particularly special. She had tips from hunters on how to keep a knife sharp without damaging it, the perfect places to stab and how she liked to make what she called field soup. She complained about warlocks a lot, claiming that they were never as organised as they pretended to be and Marie felt a little called out but despite her complaints, she always admitted that they aren’t too bad to work with as long as you don’t toy with their ego that much. There were a few comments that made her smile as Anya seemed to joke with herself as she made her entries.

As the entries went on, they spoke about how she worked on improving her light abilities, speaking of a hammer she’d bought and wanted to study. she spoke about a hunter she wanted to befriend as well and marie assumed the hunter was Veta who had barely existed after that first day where she had forced herself into the warlock’s house. She discovered that the titan had enjoyed teaching new guardians too, in fact it was almost like Anya could do no wrong after a while, she was seemingly a perfect white knight that stood for everything justice, love and peace. It was a bit depressing knowing that the Anya in this book was likely never going to return. When she finally reached the more exciting stuff, Marie quickly discovered just how straight she was when she spoke of her friendly relations, particularly with the titan who had been lost on the moon. dante was her name and she awkwardly skipped past those pages but she could sense the adoration the titan had once for her, even from the cold pages. There were other mentions of guardians who caught her eye as well and Marie realised just how exciting Anya had been once, very much of a looker, almost playgirl when she wanted to be. It became very clear that she didn’t mind a bit more of an exotic night too and Marie wasn’t quite sure how to think about that knowledge, it simply didn’t seem to belong to the sweet titan beside her.

All up marie was saddened when she realised just how much of a shell the titan was now. She could still see some of these wonderful traits in anya sometimes, how she tried her best despite it all and particularly how she still adored her ghost. When anya was at her most ‘here’, her manners and heart stood out when she tried to be friendly, even backing up sometimes if she feared that she had done something wrong. Marie spent some time to ponder the diary before she finally had no choice but to disrupt the titan’s sleep to get up. After the learning experience of the first attempt to get up at her house, the warlock this time tried not to upset anya as much. The scared reaction of the titan had in turn frightened Marie so she was hoping to about that. Naturally though, she wasn’t sure what triggered such an aggressively scared reaction so it was bound to happen again. 

Marie tried this time to shift to her side to see if she could gently wake the titan, it didn’t work. the moment the warlock moved away, anya snapped to life and clutched her closer warily. It was as if she had almost forgotten she was beside someone or potentially feared that someone was going to attack her. she instinctively pressed herself closer for protection as she was frightened by the movement. Marie tensed up in response and gently put a hand on her arm, “my sweet, it’s ok, we are still safe” she soothed gently.

Anya looked drowsy despite her fear but on realising Marie was giving her attention, she calmed a little and nuzzled into her with a tired sigh. She was getting better with her emotions around the warlock, that much was certain but it was moments like these where she was stressed and in turn, recovering a lot quicker that gave Marie pride. In a way, it was comforting to know that she was able to support the titan. It took a few minutes before iskra flew in to assist, allowing The warlock to escape and deal with her own morning needs before returning to help with anyas.

Since it was still a ‘new’ experience to sleep beside Anya directly, it certainly showed. there had been nothing between Anya and herself again besides loose armour. Marie usually tried to keep a sheet or blankets between them for polite reasons as well as cleanliness but today, her armour was quite dirty where Anya had her hands and face in particular. She couldn’t help it of course as the titan never stopped crying or drooling for lack of a better word. Her hands cracked and bled constantly too so it was natural for her to leave marks as she bled through her bandages, her body was very similar too but the armour seemed to absorb most of the mess this time. normally it was just marie’s shoulders or arms where Anya would lean against that got dirty and last time she had left the warlock messier to be fair. Today Marie had marks on her arms, chest and armour just because Anya must have woken up in the night to cuddle closer, further marking her. the bed was always destined to become filthy so she didn’t mind about that and had tried to account for it but she wasn’t sure yet how to feel about whether she was entirely comfortable with cuddling like this or not considering she didn’t know the risks of the black blood that Anya made naturally.

Either way, Marie chose not to focus on the issue of mess for now as she helped Anya up gently to give her a morning bath after looking after herself. “Now, I have a question for both of you” Marie questioned thoughtfully, getting both sparks and elsies attention. “the first one is for miss Anya,” she mused,”would you like to be carried down the stairs this morning?” she asked carefully as she tightened her robes in a way that wouldn’t trip the clumsy titan up. Anya looked thoughtful at the question, processing it slowly before shaking her head and looking determined almost. Marie smiled and helped support her carefully, she asked out of curiosity. Yesterday the titan had Led the warlock to her bedroom so she wondered if that was all Anya remembered. “ok, don’t feel bad if you get tired, I’ll help you if you need it” she promised gently. She wasn’t sure if this was a good idea but Marie had started to think that it might be good to give the titan some physical thearapy and while she was so energetic, maybe it was a good time to try. 

It was a bit slow of course as Anya stumbled a little as she blindly felt her way out of the room and into the hall. The titan was again incredibly focused as she carefully searched her memory for where to go but With Marie’s help, she found the stairs and in turn the banister. Anya paused with anxiety as she attempted the first step, she didn’t seem to like the fact there was nothing there but with a little coaxing, Anya felt her way down to the first of many steps. each step seemed slower than the last as she clutched the banister tight and the warlock tighter. She searched each step with her feet, slipping on a few of them but Marie was there to catch her until she safely made it down the steps. It had taken almost five minutes but the titan looked triumphant almost once she reached the bottom despite looking tired from the effort but she was clearly more comfortable with trying things now she was home and the steps proved that.

“Well done” marie enthused proudly, continuing to help her get to the bathroom. “my next question is a little harder” she admitted looking a bit awkward. “now I know you can’t help it, neither of you can” Marie begun weakly, “but it’s going to be very hard for you to live by yourself”. The warlock felt guilty as she voiced it, helping anya to undress. She swallowed hard as she continued, “maybe in time it will be easier but since the vanguard doesn’t know you exist among other things, you both have two people who can help you, me and your friend Veta” she continued. “I don’t know her” she sighed, “but I can’t imagine that she is the helping type from what I’ve seen” she added gently and brought a hand up to anya’s cheek. 

The titan seemed to understand the tone of the words and looked guilty, almost ashamed as she begun to tear up more. “please, don’t take this the wrong way my sweet” Marie spoke sincerely, “I don’t have anything against looking after you, I owe you my life and I know you would prefer literally anything else too” she assured. Marie was finding it hard to continue, she wasn’t sure what sort of reaction she should expect because Anya was already looking hurt and iskra was definitely guilty. “I was thinking that since I’m the only one” Marie stammered a bit, “maybe, I could move in for a bit to help you out?” She offered before blushing deeply and looking more awkward. “that way you can stay home where it’s kind of familiar and I can still look after you both” she rushed. “when you get better, maybe I can leave again” she offered as she teared up from the mounting anxiety. 

“I know how it sounds but trust me, I wouldn’t offer if I didn’t want to look after you” she assured, speaking directly to Anya now as she grabbed the titan’s hands. Marie then looked to iskra, “together, It’s both of your house so I wanted to ask both of you before I did anything” She explained looking flustered.

Iskra looked as though she went through a mix of emotions before settling on guilty surprise. “you would do that?” She asked weakly.

Marie nodded and swallowed hard. “maybe she doesn’t talk much but she is pretty cool for a titan” She joked weakly before looking to Anya with uncertainty.

Anya avoided her gaze for a moment looking ashamed almost as she processed the offer as best she could until she finally brought a tearful gaze back to the warlocks direction. Since marie still had her hands, it was easy to gently pull them free and she instead offered a hug. “can stay as long as wish” she whispered weakly “I’m sorry....”.

Marie took the hug before looking horrified at the thought that anya might have considered that she didn’t want this. “No, no, my sweet, I mean it when I say I don’t mind looking after you” Marie assured gently, “I want you to be safe, I don’t want you to ever go through anything like you have again, and I mean that”. she gave the titan a loving hug then and sighed, “it’s not your fault that you need a little extra love” she soothed, “and I think you are wonderful, and sweet. I like seeing my friend happy”.

The room was quiet but heavy with emotion as Anya seemed uncertain. “Well you can stay here” iskra agreed gently, “Anya has never said no to anyone before and it seems like it’s not about to change” she smiled before shifting to nudge anya’s hand supportively. “Marie means it by the way, I can tell” she assured lovingly.

Once the ghost had assured her, Anya teared up further, beginning to cry lightly and hugged the warlock back gratefully. Skye allowed her to calm down before continuing to free the titan from her armour and dirtied bandages. The announcement had taken a weight off the warlocks shoulders but she wasn’t completely sure why. It could have been the fact that she was moving into a nicer place, maybe the fact that she hadn’t immediately weirded out the two but she was almost certain that knowing Anya would be looked after was at least one reason, she wasn’t sure if there was more than that though. 

With the emotion in the air, Marie pulled away to wipe her own tears away and sniffed, “well now that awkwardness is done, tell you what. how about we have a bath and maybe we can sit down with a tea and I’ll make you some breakfast” she offered gently. Anya nodded and gave her a small smile, still looking grateful for a moment as she thought. Marie went to pull away carefully to start running the bath before she was stopped by a careful hand and anya looked confused but clearly wanted to say something. “What is wrong my sweet” Marie asked gently. 

Anya seemed to find it hard to find the words and after a moment of looking lost, she felt around with care until she had stumbled clumsily from the bathroom sink to the shower. On reaching the shower, Anya then patted the door hopefully before she vaguely looked for Marie as if asking a question. It took a second but Marie understood, “you want a shower?” She asked gently. At a nod from Anya, The warlock smiled, “of course you can” she assured before looking uncertain, “can you stand that long my sweet?” She continued gently, the titan was already tired from the stairs and her emotions. 

Anya seemed to silently judge herself before nodding and looking hopeful, while Marie wasn’t quite convinced, it was hard to say no since she really seemed to want a shower. “Ok my sweet, Easy then” she assured. Skye had set her on the floor so it was easier on Anya for the most part and after freeing her from her last few layers once she was on her feet, Marie her to the the shower. The warlock took care to make sure it was nice and warm before helping her inside. after an initial flinch, Anya let out a relaxed breath as she enjoyed the flow of the water for a change.

Marie had thought about giving the titan a shower before but she was only just becoming strong enough to stand on her own for long enough and her shower at hone wasn’t nearly as great as Elsie’s was, offering more risk than she was willing to put up with. A shower was definitely the more hygienic option as wasn’t forced to sit in tainted water but Marie couldn’t help but worry that she might slip over and hurt herself since she didn’t have the best balance yet. After letting elsie have a moment to enjoy the shower in which Marie quickly discarded her robes down to her pants and biosuit, she gently helped the titan clean up properly. She didn’t want to leave the titan unguarded for too long, not to mention Anya needed help cleaning herself properly because she was blind and tired. 

Unfortunately, what Marie was afraid of became a reality when as the warlock was making sure to wash her off, the titan shifted slightly, taking a clumsy step before slipping as one of her legs gave out. The warlock was quick to catch her, almost expecting it as her instincts kicked into high gear. Within a blink of an eye, Marie found herself fully clothed in the water directly against Anya who was being held against the wall protectively. 

There was a bit of a pained groan from Anya as she slowly seemed to catch up but she let out a tense breath as dark light flushed to her cheeks a little more than usual. perhaps Marie had never noticed it before now but she suddenly became hyper aware of how she was pressed up against the titan and she blushed deeply, helping her stand up quickly. “Hah, I was afraid of that...” she admitted weakly, trying to pass it off as a joke, “I am so sorry my sweet, are you ok?”.

Elsie seemed to take a second to recover before almost giggling as a new kind of emotion came to her. “I thought only hunters were that quick...” she whispered breathlessly.

Marie could only just catch it but she blushed deeply, glad that she seemed ok with the multiple things that was wrong with this scene. “Was that a test then?” Marie replied gently before sighing with guilt. She still felt incredibly awkward but if she could just joke her way out of this, that would be wonderful. “if you wanted me to join you, you could have asked...” marie muttered playfully, “I’m all wet now, maybe we should get you out though” she offered carefully.

At the words, Anya brought her hands up to the warlocks shoulders carefully and looked deeply apologetic, pulling away as she felt the cloth, she clearly hadn’t paid attention in the fuss. Marie cut her off with guilt as she realised she was starting to upset the titan, “no no, it’s ok my sweet, I needed a shower anyway” she admitted quickly, “I’ll make sure your done first though” she assured, “don’t worry”.

Since she was now wet anyway, Skye blushed as she ditched her now soaked pants that were barely hanging on to the slippery fabric of the biosuit, she threw them into the bath to deal with later. Marie had somewhat gotten used to having bathe Anya but it appeared the shower was different as she quickly discovered. The surprise of the fall had made Marie worried that she had hurt herself, or alternatively, the warlock herself had cause her pain. she was glad to discover that she was fine, only soapy. It led to a new problem however, as Marie ran her hands over the titan’s skin to clean off the suds, she swallowed hard as she tried to keep her thoughts to herself. Despite the titans sickly grey skin and wounds, it was definitely starting to look slightly better and even the dark tainted wounds didn’t take away from her thin form enough to change how attractive it was to care for another. She looked small and weak with her eyes seeming unfocused and grey, however the way her hair hung, not to mention the way anya seemed to react to her touch, Marie found it hard to keep her thoughts straight. she blushed as anya’s hands found the warlocks shoulders almost shakily and she let out a breathless whimper, letting her head fall.

Marie blushed deeply and stopped fearing that she was hurting anya after the somewhat rough save before, “are you ok?” She asked gently. The titan nodded and bit her lip with guilt.

Skye had been hoping she’d been alone in her thoughts but seeing the titan so tense, almost hungry, she just tried to not drag it out because it felt wrong to feel this way about the helpless titan she was caring for. She was paused once more as Anya finally shook her head with a pant and caught Marie’s hands, black was starting to drip from her lower quarters and it looked as though she was having trouble standing as she started to lean on the warlock. “I’m sorry” she whimpered under her breath, she clearly felt bad though as she couldn’t control her bodies reactions.

Marie shook her head and supported her gently. “no, this is my fault” she breathed, “I probably should have made you have a bath” she admitted with a weak joke, earning a little smile from Anya. Marie was torn between her own needs which hadn’t been met in a while and common decency, babysitting was turning out to be a full-time gig. As Marie held the titan up supportively, it was very clear how far she had accidentally pushed the titan. Her mind raced with how she could get out of the situation that felt so wrong. Was it wrong? she almost felt it rude to torture the already tortured titan like this, and to not help her knowing she probably didn’t have the energy to help herself. As a woman, she knew how that felt, and she knew she would regret both choices in front of her but after a moment of thought, she swallowed hard.

Marie finally pulled the titan into a hug before moving her hand to anya’s cheek, leaning up so she could whisper in the titan’s ear nervously, “it seems cruel to leave you like this... should I just finish you?” She asked weakly, just the words seemed wrong, yet they were almost what she wanted too. Marie almost hoped that Anya said yes rather than no.

This seemed to surprise the titan and her breath hitched briefly. Anya had dropped her hands and tried not to touch without permission, seemingly trying not to offend the warlock. The question lingered in the air heavily though and after a moment, Anya answered. Her hands gently lifted to rest around the warlocks waist, her hands tentatively slipped down to the warlocks hips hungrily as an answer. Marie let out a nervous breath before leaning in to nuzzle the titan’s neck as she shifted to hold Anya securely against the wall so she had some support. 

Anya whimpered hungrily as Marie’s soapy hands trailed up her body, this time following the contours of her body hungrily and she cupped her breast in her hand, teasing her nipple making the titan whine quietly. The warlock shifted to ensure the titan wouldn’t fall as she looked weak before continuing a hungry but gentle attack, bringing her lips down to plant kisses against her skin before looking indecisive. She brought a hand to anya’s cheek and hovered uncertainly, dragging a finger gently accross her lips to gauge her reaction before gently pressing her lips against the titan’s. Anya responded hungrily as her own hands started to wander over the warlocks own more fluffy form, Naturally, the biosuit hid nothing.

Since Marie still wore her biosuit which stuck to her body being as wet as it, Anya didn’t need to see as she dragged her hands over the wet cloth to cup the warlocks more voluptuous breast before sliding her hands down further. As she found the zip, she traced it up to find the latch and slowly pulled it down as she pulled back her second skin, pulling it off her shoulders and down. on reaching her bra, she followed it around with her hands and fingers to undo it and free her breasts so she could play with them better, Marie let out a pleasured sigh response.

Marie finally broke the kiss to continue peppering the titan with hungry affection as her hands went down to press against her pussy making elsie shudder and pant hungrily. Not a thought went to the wounds and blood that stained her as in the moment, she was a beautiful woman. Marie teased her briefly before continuing and elsie let a whimpered moan of pleasure which turned into many as with a bit of play, she found where Anya liked it. maybe she was just particularly sensitive but it didn’t take long for the titan to answer to the affection with a pleasured gasp and whimper. The dark pulses inside her seemed to mirror her feelings as Anya clearly enjoyed the sensation, after a moment though she threatened to colaapse before Marie caught her. It was a little gross as the effort seemed to have cause more black saliva to escape her mouth and she had teared up as well so she wasn’t nearly as clean as she was. Marie’s hands were filthy too as she finally freed herself from the titan but she didn’t mind as she supported elsie gently.

“Is that better?” Skye soothed breathlessly, she wasn’t done, but she refused to look after herself until later. She felt that was the least she could do after such an action.

Anya gave a weak nod and smiled gratefully, “thanks...” she murmured, “sorry I can’t return the favour”.

Marie blushed and shook her head, “no, it’s ok” she promised, “I can look after myself” she assured gently as she started to clean the titan once more looking flustered. “good thing we did this here... your so messy” she joked gently.

Elsie Brought her hands up hug Skye affectionately before letting her continue washing her up. the warlock then helped her out of the shower before anything else happened and after a quick clean of herself too, ditching the rest of her soggy clothes. she was still flushed as she set the titan down so she could dry her so she could start wrapping up her wounds once more. the air was a bit awkward but as tired as elsie looked, she also looked more relaxed and definitely more satisfied. Marie quickly discovered that she had forgetten to bring something for Anya to wear though so she quickly ducked upstairs to get something for both of them to wear.

Iskra had mentioned that the warlock could look for something to wear the night before but she never did get the chance to show her where to look. It wasn’t hard to find the large walk in robe but it was certainly surprising when Marie saw what was hidden there. On opening anya’s closet, there was a thin layer of dust there making the area smell a little musty but it was to be expected. What wasn’t expected was the very neatly sorted shelving of clothes, the somewhat luxurious dresses that hung beside under armour clothing and there was even more hidden away armour and weapons among neatly sorted metal storage containers. most of it had escaped dust and while it felt awkward, she reluctantly went through the clothes for both women. It was intriguing to see what anya once liked to wear and she wondered if anything would even fit the warlocks slightly more cuddly size. 

Anya seemed to be almost average sized while Marie was a little on the fluffier but she tell that they weren’t actually too far apart, once upon a time anyway. She could guess the main difference would have been her muscle tone when anya was in her best form. She blushed a little as she discovered how short some of her shorts were and she couldn’t help enjoying a picture of what that might have looked like in her head. She canceled those thoughts quickly settling on a pair of track pants and a tshirt for herself and the titan.

Marie decided just to return anya to her bed once they were both dressed and the titan didn’t argue however as she went to leave, anya caught her hands to capture her attention. The warlock kneeled down beside her, tucking her back into bed gently, “what’s wrong my sweet? I’ll just get you something eat and I’ll be back. You can rest here for a moment” she promised gently.

Anya sighed with content as she settled into bed, normally she would argue more but she was clearly tired from their venture. She looked unsure for a moment before leaning in to whisper, “what about you” she whispered, her voice a lot more hoarse then it was before.

Marie blushed again, she was hoping the titans would drop the matter quickly, “I’m fine, what are you worried about” she teased gently, “you are the tired one”.

The titan looked a little frustrated and placed a kiss on her hand before looking back to her, “see to self too” she replied looking determined almost, “important too”.

Marie cleared her throat understanding “oh, uh, I’m ok” she assured awkwardly. The titan seemed to let out an huff of tired irritation prompting iskra to appear awkwardly.

Iskra seemed as if she really didn’t want to be there or didn’t want to say what she had too by sighed. “I can’t believe I have to do this” she muttered with embarrassment to herself before looking to Marie. “She isn’t about to let this drop” she admitted awkwardly, “fairs fair, that’s what she used to say. so uh, that’s probably what she means now...” she explained. Iskra looked away then as she continued, “so, you know... it’s ok to uh... do your thing, if you want to go out. I’ll be fine with her” she trailed off awkwardly.

Marie bit her lip, blushing furiously and cursing the stubbornness of titan’s. “ok, ok, I promise I’ll see to it” she sighed, speaking more to Anya, “stubborn as a titan still I see” she muttered and sighed. “but I’ll finish looking after you guys first, so calm down...” she finished awkwardly. Marie however lingered Anya for a moment, she appreciated her best attempts to look after her regardless of how embarrassing it was. “I’ll be back, don’t get into any trouble while I’m gone” she smiled gently before heading to the kitchen, grateful to get some air.

Once they were out of earshot of Anya and her ghost, Esperer appeared looking angry, following Skye around the kitchen as she set about making some tea. “What in the light filled traveller are you doing!” She hissed. the little ghost was almost glowing with disapproval

Marie cleared her throat awkwardly and looked to her ghost with guilt, “can we not-“ she begun weakly only to be cut off.

“You don’t know what that blood does! What if you get hurt or worse, tainted...” esperer continued, lecturing her much like a mother would. “not to mention, you don’t even really know her!” She added poisonously, “I thought you were better”.

Marie bit her lip awkwardly “look, it’s a human thing, I just, I didn’t want to leave her like that, not when she can’t. It’s cruel and I just... ” she crossed her arms looking to the ghost, “have you ever been on the very edge of knowing something. Like you’re just a document or word away from proving something right. Imagine it’s that, but you never find the information you’re looking for” she explained with a huff. “And plus, it’s fine, I’m getting to know her, I’ve been looking after her forever now anyway” she muttered. “as long as I don’t let it enter my blood or something, I’m sure I’ll be fine” Marie assured confidently although she looked a little embarrassed.

Esperer flared her shell a little as the warlock talked back to her but as she explained, she understood a little at least and calmed slightly. “I am just concerned that you’re not taking this seriously enough” she muttered with annoyance, “did you even have permission? Because it looks really bad, can she even give you her permission?” She added judgingly.

Marie was relatively confident but she had doubts, the ghost only added to them as she argued. She begun to look uncertain at the words, she was sure she had permission. Anya seemed to want it, but now she was starting question herself. Marie went argue back weakly before they were interrupted by iskra’s quiet voice. The ghost looked awakened, as if she felt uncomfortable stepping into another guardian and ghosts fight but she resisted the discomfort as she spoke. “It’s ok, I promise, I uh... Anya has always been, well, it’s fine” she admitted with awkward determination. “please, you really don’t have to worry” she added sincerely.

Esperer looked uncomfortable at the interruption but after a moment turned the questions to the ghost instead. “you’re sure? her mental capacity isn’t always there, what if today-“ she begun. 

She was cut off by iskra quickly with a blunt sigh, “no, that was anya” she replied awkwardly, “I was wondering if that part of her would survive” she admitted before leaning in closer to the two. “Look, I don’t know if you read or picked up on it in her diary” iskra begun, speaking to the warlock first, “but she has always enjoyed, company, shall we say”. Iskra gave a weak chuckle before continuing, “I was a little worried she would attack Marie first” she admitted, “i’ve been noticing how close she’s been getting, how she reacts to you. she definitely likes you, I don’t know how much but she has definitely made a few subtle moves that neither of you have noticed” she added before clearing her throat. “just don’t be mad at marie because of Anya. she helped, in only the way another person can help” sparks assured.

Despite the topic of the conversation making Marie blush, it also helped silence the inner doubt that she had and felt much better. She finished her tea and gave it a long sip before sighing. “well anya isn’t too bad either” Marie admitted awkwardly, smiling a little as she thought of the sweet titan. “maybe I lost my head too, but I’m glad I could help” she added before biting her lip, “I hope she feels better because technically it was my fault. I just know how it feels to get that riled up and then nothing happens, it’s been a long time for both of us”. she looked a little guilty then, “It’s not like she can just, well, look after herself anymore and four years is a long time to be disappointed at the end of” she finished weakly, “everyone deserves love occasionally”.

Iskra considered the words and nodded in agreement, “Anya would have liked you” she sighed. “before all this I mean” she added quickly, “you two would have got along well and she had a soft spot for sweet girls that she could look after” she smiled gently. “but anyway... are you really serious about helping us?” She asked carefully looking more serious.

Marie looked thoughtful as she set about organising some breakfast for Anya and nodded, “of course, but I’d have to figure out how to arrange work so it might take a bit to balance to start with”. As she waited for the microwave to warm up her soup, the warlock blushed as she looked back to the ghost, “and I swear that I mean for no other reason than to help look after her. I promise to keep my mess in my room and I’ll help look after rent and food of course” she added looking flustered, “I won’t bother you outside of my obligations” she promised.

Iskra seemed to take a minute just to appreciate the warlocks words before smiling, “oh no, I should be offering you that” she sighed. “feel free to use the spare room then” she offered happily before looking thoughtful herself, “I don’t know what I will do with anya’s stuff...” she admitted looking depressed, “I’m not sure she will ever be able to use her armour again among other things, so I guess we might be able to arrange more space for you if you need or want it. depends on Anya” she added.

Marie looked surprised and waved her hands, “oh, No, don’t you dare move anything just for me” She argued sternly, “I don’t mind if she never uses her armour again, but don’t move anything for me. it’s probably best we leave most things where she remembers them” she admitted. Marie then bit her lip remembering some of the more sharper things in her collection, “maybe the dangerous stuff should be... moved or hidden, but most of it is relatively harmless right?”.

Iskra nodded with a chuckle, “most of it” she agreed before looking unsure. “ok, but I’m sure we can arrange something if you need it, when will you move in then?” She asked carefully, “there’s no rush of course and I can look after her until then I’m sure if you want” she offered.

The warlock looked unsure as she considered her to do list but at the thought of making the ghost look after Anya, she shook her head. “Oh no my sweet, that’s ok, you can rely on me to help you of course” she assured before considering her work again. “uh, well, I’ll put in for a few days off. when that goes through I’ll probably arrange for everything to be moved, I don’t have that much stuff that isn’t paperwork” she admitted, “until then I can just stay here if it’s more comfortable for Anya”.

Iskra nodded and leaned in teasingly, “that’s very warlock of you” she mused with a chuckle before straightening her shell, “well don’t feel rushed, we have as much time as you do so there is no pressure from us at least”.

Skye blushed and smiled appreciatively before raising an eyebrow, “says the one with an armoury in her back pocket” she replied cheekily. 

Iskra went to argue but she couldn’t really, anya’s house was full of armour and weaponry that she used to value. “Valid, but technically it’s not mine. Anya just refuses to leave it in digital storage” she sighed, “it would be so much easier mind you” she muttered. “but I suppose the argument is invalid now. well I gotta go, but keep me in the loop and uh, thank you for everything” she smiled before returning to her guardian with a little flash of light.

Esperer was quiet but finally sighed, “sparks is weird, I wonder if she got that from her guardian” she murmured thoughtfully before looking to the warlock. “just, try to look after yourself, ok?” she asked looking mildly defeated.

Marie looked up to her and caught her gently, pressing a loving kiss on her shell, “of course, but I just can’t sit by and watch someone suffer” she smiled, “plus, we’ve been talking about upgrading our house for ages” she added. “this might be good for us, and you can talk to someone other than me” she teased.

Esperer rolled her eye before softening a little “you’re not that bad, most of the time” she sighed. “you just need to think about yourself more often and maybe it could be nice to have someone else to talk to considering you don’t really talk that much anyway” she added.

Marie looked apologetic, “I’m sorry, I know I space out a lot” she replied, letting the ghost go to finish warming up anya’s breakfast before looking at her tea thoughtfully. by now it was starting to cool so she poured some of it out into another cup, making herself another, she would see if Anya took to tea well enough. tea wasn’t as aggressive as coffee and she knew Anya liked coffee, maybe they could work up to coffee in the future.

On returning to the bedroom, Anya was still in bed but it seemed like iskra had set up the tablet as it now played the crucible broadcast again. Marie set her tea’s and soup bottle down on the opposite sides bedside table, settling on the bed gently. “hey my sweet, you feeling hungry?” She asked gently, finding the titan’s hand to get her attention.

Anya looked for her vaguely before nodding so the warlock helped her sit up, offering her the soup she prepared. Marie supported her so it wasn’t such a hard task to sit up, not to mention so that she could swallow easier. It was always quiet when the titan would eat, talking would distract her and she sometimes forgot what she was supposed to be doing so Marie tried not to talk too much. Anya was doing well with eating now though as she had gone from barely a few mouthfuls to a small but proper serving, allowing her to continue gathering a healthy body weight again. When she was mostly finished, Marie looked to Anya thoughtfully and got her attention gently, “so my sweet, I know you prefer coffee, but I think coffee isn’t a great idea until you can actually get out of bed”. The titan looked at her vaguely as she considered the words, likely only catching half of them but she listened as Marie continued. “instead, would you like to try some tea?” She offered.

Anya thought it over before nodding vaguely. It wasn’t certain if she understood properly since she was very spacey and tired but it was enough. Marie gently replaced the soup with the warm tea instead, helping to support the cup and the titan’s hands. “now it’s not hot because I don’t want you to burn yourself, but it is warm, you don’t have to drink it if you don’t like it” she assured gently as she helped guide the cup to avoid spilling it. The titan considered the tea thoughtfully after a small sip. It wasn’t clear whether she liked it or not until she took another careful sip with a content sigh, spilling a little by accident before giving the cup back carefully.

“Was that passable?” Marie mused setting the cup aside to give the titan a gentle hug. Anya leaned quite happily against the warlock as she raised a hand to make a playful meh hand symbol before nodding and blindly finding the warlocks hands. She gave them a grateful squeeze before with the warlocks help, she settled back into bed with a tired sigh. Marie offered her hand and the titan held it happily to her cheek as she relaxed and after some mildly uncomfortable tossing and turning, she managed to slip back into sleep.

Marie used the time anya was sleeping to do some paperwork for a bit before reluctantly waking the titan up when she headed out to sort herself out, considering how she was going to deal with her current apartment. By the end of the day she had arranged for four days grace to organise her new house sometime in the future. Packing Marie’s house was always going to be interesting, Anya needed a lot of attention and packing did too so it was going to be inevitable that she was going to be forced to see how the titan would handle being left alone in a safe environment. The thought gave the warlock some anxiety but she figured she’d see how she was going to deal with Anya when she got there. 

It was about a week before Marie got her time off and she hadn’t had much time to pack at all before then. Anya had had a few rough days as she adjusted to her home and ended up having some bad nightmares that caused her to became very clingy to both iskra and Marie.


	7. Roommates and Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> a new chapter for both guardian's and their ghosts, a risky adventure for brief freedom.

Marie had initially planned to live in the spare room downstairs after dusting and cleaning the house where necessary, she'd begun to set up the spare room up as her bedroom although it didn’t seem to be working out quite like she thought. the most the warlock managed was to make it more of an office where she could study and still allow Anya space to cuddle up with her at the same time. Despite planning to sleep in her own bed, Marie was starting to get used to waking up beside the titan in her decorated bedroom instead. Anya just didn't like to sleep unless she was beside the warlock. she occasionally slept with just Iskra but it was rare and they quickly discovered the difference between a well rested titan and a titan who refused to sleep for a day or so. 

Once rescued from the moon and beginning recovery, they didn’t think about it a lot to begin with, The fact that the titan never slept had never really occurred to any of her carers. while Anya did enter coma like stasises of inactivity, she always had her eyes open and you could still get a vague reaction from her which proved that she was technically awake. The closest she got to closing her eyes for a long time was when she clearly reached the end of her tether and she looked utterly exhausted, even then though, she fought the need to rest and didn’t most of the time. 

Anya was clingy with her ghost always, liking to know where she was, if not holding her at all times. It stayed like that until she slowly learnt to trust Marie more and it allowed iskra a bit of freedom because Anya started to enjoy just sitting beside the warlock, a hand holding her in some manner was comforting enough to her. While it was more comfortable for iskra, an unexpected side affect begun to happen and the titan did seem to become clingy to Marie as well. She soon felt safe enough to relax a little too and the first night that Marie was truly stuck with the titan, Anya felt safe enough to actually sleep. She must have desperately needed the sleep because she didn’t wake until she was moved substantially, she panicked of course but she certainly became more subdued as if she was still half asleep, even that wore off to a more normal spacey temperament after a little.

The next night with her was spent at anya’s house, in her own bed so she seemed almost more than happy to sleep, in comparison to earlier attempts of course. The only difference was that it took less to wake her and she was instantly more alert with moods that were easier to calm. Marie did attempt to sleep in her own bedroom but that was when the nightmares picked up and the warlock woke to a panicked ghost begging for help to calm Anya. In her nightmares, that weren’t just limited to sleep, she seemed to forget where she was, particularly the fact that she was safe. She complained about voices a lot that insisted she was in danger but it took more than a ghost to calm her because she felt the need to protect her ghost from some unseen enemy. Marie had to force her to realise that she was safe with her physical presence which led to her staying in anya’s bed with her.

While there was a certain amount of awareness that the titan recovered from just being treated as human, it was through the combined efforts of care and sleep that they noticed positive change. Once sleep became a common occurance along side her care, her mental capacity improved in amazing strides. it wasn't an improvement that meant she could think and speak properly however she became quicker to pick up on a conversation, finding it easier to find and understand whoever was talking to her. Her attention span was still short and long sentences were too much, but her memory was slightly better. Marie found it easier to look after her too because she responded better to her questions, even becoming able to explain her thoughts somewhat through vague hand symbols and replies. it was all still very simple still but it was a change that was very welcome, giving the titan much more life. The only downside was that she tended to become more difficult, grumpy and upset when she went without the care she was now given. 

Days at work were particularly hard because while iskra could look after Anya enough, the titan would fret when she realised Marie was gone, She would refuse food and care. depending on the mood, she’d be angry or upset that she’d abandoned. That wasn’t what happened of course but that how the titan understood it.

Among Anya's improvement, Marie had become a better carer herself. she had learned a lot about the titan herself as well as how to properly care for her needs. With her multiple wounds that refused to heal, she bled a lot but it was slow as the blood seemed to thicken, almost as a defence mechanism. Marie learned to minimise the mess with correct bandaging techniques, leaving only the discharge from her eyes and mouth mostly besides other small wounds she got in her hands and feet. Now that Marie had somewhat ‘officially’ become anya’s carer, besides iskra of course, she also now begun to pay closer attention to the titan with the intention of studying her down the track. Marie hoped that she would be able to find some ways to help the titan with future work and research. 

In the large amount of time that Marie was held up by having to sit with the titan, she either worked for the vanguard, followed leads for the warlocks or offered field support from home. When she wasn’t busy with her duties, she was instead beginning a study diary for her work on the titan. Like all warlocks, they had a process and Marie’s was a little different. While she hated to admit it, the warlocks writing was awfully messy and while she understood it herself, sometimes it was awkward for others because it was either in messy common or messy French which was technically a semi-dead language. 

To overcome the problem, Marie was a gifted artist and she would sketch her subject of interest to visually explain her concepts with little notes that reflect her thoughts and ideas. She begun at the start with Anya, starting at the story of how she managed to get stuck on the moon, ending up with how she became the monster she is now. She noted the titan’s ship and the condition it was in when she found it, sketching the ominous half buried ship and the traces of hive hidden inside. Marie even detailed the discovery of anya’s ghost before moving deeper into the discovery of the titan’s corpse. The warlock used the old footage to sketch the gravesite perfectly before noting details that she thought was important. Marie did this for all the important stages of the titans recovery, noting every messy and painful detail just in case it became important later. 

Iskra was fascinated by the work, having never seen a warlock study before, she didn’t understand the complicated details that were involved but it was interesting to watch and participate in. When Marie finally felt like she had ‘caught up’ to anya’s current condition, it was then that she begun to do a detailed study on the titan’s form and health. Some things were easy to see but other things were facinating to learn and marie started listing down problems that she wanted to study further. 

One of the most obvious problems beside her inner health was her skin. when anya was wounded anywhere over her body, her skin seemed to crack like hive chitin around the edges. In some cases, it seemed like the cracked edges themselves had caused the wound. there were signs that they were more natural wounds, created by the simple movements. A good example of what Marie called movement fractures were often found on her hands, feet, knees and elbows although they seemed to happen in other places too. These cuts or cracks seemed to heal every now and then but they were essentially as small as the wrinkles created when the titan relaxed her hands, moved her feet, bent her knees, etc. she suspected they were forced wounds where the skin had become inflexible and just cracked naturally. 

The deeper wounds were found on her back, side, stomach and shoulder. These wounds in particular were incredibly nasty and were essentially just open wounds frozen in place almost. Marie could almost see the edges were claws cut deep into her flesh, the edges stiff like roughly cut chitin. She could trace a sword down her back and another in her shoulder but her body all over, particularly where she had thin armour was covered in these clawlike, almost bite marks among fracture cracks that had seemingly appeared and healed over time creating scars all over her body. It was sickening to imagine the pain and torture that Anya had been through, just to end up becoming this monster. 

Once Marie had realised the extent of the titan’s tortured end, she took a day just to process the guilt and sadness the knowledge had but she turned it into determination. Starting with the wounds, Marie began to study why she healed sporadically in some places and not others. She started to think that the chitin like affect blocked the natural human bodies reaction and following actions, for example, healing when a body was injured. Marie wasn’t sure if she was right or not, let alone how to fix it just yet but she had started testing out some moisturising creams to see if that might help prompt the body to heal through natural processes. it appeared to work with some creams giving The warlock something to work with but it didn’t appear to stop the cause of the cracking. She was forced however to stop her study as she finally had the chance to move out of her old apartment properly.

Today was the second last day that Marie had to finish her move and she reluctantly dragged herself from sleep. Anya instantly stirred to the warlocks drowsy waking movements with an instinctual flinch but she recovered relatively quickly now as she nuzzled into Marie’s side. While Marie was definitely not a morning person, it was kinda nice waking up beside someone if you ignored the ominous touch of darkness that surrounded the titan, she gave Anya a gentle smile with a content sigh. “Good morning my sweet, did I wake you?” Marie murmured with a chuckle.

Anya responded by giving her a squeeze as she had well and truly claimed the warlock, wrapping an arm around her waist. “I’m sorry” Marie replied playfully as she brought a hand to the titans cheek lightly. “Did you sleep ok?” She asked gently. 

The titan considered the question looking vague before burying her face into Marie’s side with a sigh, she seemed to enjoy the warlock at least and Marie laughed. “You big suck up” Marie teased lightly before gently freeing herself from anya’s arms. “I hate to disappoint but I have to get up” she warned woth amusement.

Anya reluctantly let the warlock escape and looked almost disappointed at the words but with a well practiced move, iskra casually moved in to replace marie by nudging her hands gently. “Good morning Anya” she greeted affectionately. The titan clutched her in response and pulled her close to her chest, holding her between her hands, “you missed me huh?” She spoke playfully. Anya nodded in response, she was easy to keep content in the mornings as she was quite happy to just cuddle if given half the chance. 

Marie sat up with a stretch and a yawn before Looking to Anya with a chuckle, “I’ll be back and we can take a shower” she promised gently. Anya gave her a vague nod, not that she was looking anywhere close to the warlocks direction but she couldn’t help that she was blind. Marie was satisfied with that and moved into her morning routine, dealing with her own needs before returning to help Anya with the same. The warlock had spent the last few days at her own apartment leaving iskra to look after her guardian by herself. While it wasn’t the worst idea, it did cause problems and a new problem had started arise. the titan had begun to get bored and without the warlock to focus on, she had started to become emotionally unstable for a reason that they hadn’t clarified yet. Yesterday in particular, Marie actually had to return to the titan’s apartment early to calm her so she didn’t become a danger. 

It was when Marie had Anya seated in the bathroom, re-wrapping her wounds that she figured she’d voice her thoughts. “Hey, Anya my sweet, I have a question” Marie started gently, waiting until she had the titans full attention before continuing. “Would you like to go on a walk with me?” She asked curiously. Anya took a moment to ponder this question before looking curious, gazing at her vaguely and squeezing her hand in reply. 

Iskra appeared to look uncertain, “what are you thinking?” She asked carefully. In her own time with the warlock, she had learned that it was never easy to guess marie’s ideas. Her intention was mostly always pure but while she used to be able to predict her own guardians every thought, the warlock made her wary. 

Marie bit her lip, “well I had a thought. And hear me out for a second” she added quickly. She looked a little uncertain but after a moment she paused her wrapping to looked at the ghost. “So, I was thinking, one day, if Anya is in a good mood. Maybe today but maybe not” she begun awkwardly, “maybe I could take her for a walk, I’m going out today anyway and we are going to my apartment, she knows that place. It could be nice to just give her a little bit of activity, some change” she offered. “You can say no, of course” she added quickly looking a little flustered. 

Truthfully, she was worried that Anya might get too upset if she kept leaving and the only way to stop that was for the warlock to stay with her. Marie also had thoughts of trying to introduce her to somewhere slightly more pleasant, maybe the market up the road where she could hear something new. 

Iskra considered the thought for a long minute before eyeing her guardian and reading her mood. Despite the titans mood yesterday, sleep had done her well and she was happier after a shower with Marie. Anya had always enjoyed showers before the dark but it was clear she still enjoyed the gentle pleasure of running water, not to mention the attention she would get from her carer when she was bathed. Now Anya was content as she sat patiently, allowing the titan to bandage her ravaged body tightly. Her hand rested on the currently semi-bare warlock’s shoulder and it wasn’t clear what she was thinking of but Anya was definitely calm enough for an adventure, at the moment. She wasn’t looking forward to the panic attacks that would come later in the day. 

Iskra finally looked back to the warlock carefully, “so what’s your plan?” she asked. 

Marie sighed and continued to wrap the titan’s chest as she replied. “Well, I was kinda thinking about heading to the market before going to my house anyway. I’m not finished packing of course so we will end up there but you know, I thought it might be an, interesting test, I suppose” she admitted before looking a little solemn. “I was just thinking it might be nice for her to hear some other things beside just us mumbling all day” she added, “she was a social type once after all”.

Iskra frowned at this before looking guilty as she considered her words. It was true, Anya used to love being social just as much as having alone time, the scary part was that it might also backfire too if they weren’t careful. With her boredom lately, it definitely seemed like a promising idea. Iskra was sold as Anya leaned into the warlock as if sensing her mood. The titan pet her shoulder lightly as if to comfort Marie. The ghost sighed as she nodded with hesitance, “you will likely have to carry her, I don’t think she can walk that far yet” she admitted, “but maybe it will be a good thing” she agreed. “Not too long at the market though” iskra warned. 

Marie gave the titan a gentle smile, appreciating her attempt to look after her. “You are such a sweet heart” she sighed affectionately before looking to the ghost. “Of course” she replied before looking thougtful. “I know it’s not the right armour, but, I was thinking. I could dress her up in some of my light armour again” she smiled, “she could wear one of my helmets again so she’d be completely covered, not to mention protected with heavy shielding”.

The ghost nodded and smiled a little, “any armour looks nice on her these days” she admitted, “I can protect her” she assured. 

Marie finished the bandaging with a huff before moving to slip a loose dress over the titan’s shoulders carefully. “I know you can my sweet, I wouldn’t mention it if you couldn’t” she assured with a nod. “Now, as for walking, I can carry her if necessary” she added as she helped Anya to her feet. The titan was always a little clumsy when she first to got to her feet, leaning heavily on Marie as she adjusted to being on her feet. The act of standing and walking, even just moving sometimes still caused her some pain as her body was only semi-functional, the titan was quite happy to let the warlock support and lead her though. 

Normally Marie would just return Anya to her bed where she liked to lounge but with the thought of extra walking, she instead led the titan to the kitchen where she sat her down once more, there was more room to dress her here. Iskra looked unsure though, “so what will you say if you are questioned by a guardian?, it’s kinda weird to carry another guardian around” she admitted, “unless you’re a titan” iskra added. 

Marie paused at the thought as she had Esperer drop a specific set of armour for her. “Well, uh. What do you think they would believe?” She asked carefully. “I was considering perhaps, well, maybe the red war caused her damage she couldn’t recover from” she suggested as she kneeled down to start dressing the titan in her biosuit, undressing her again because she had autopiloted in the bathroom, dressing her out of habit. 

Iskra seemed to question the idea before cocking her shell thoughtfully, “I could be her support ghost and you her carer, the red war did affect a lot of people like that” she agreed. “I heard that some awoken lost their memory, others went blind briefly, all sorts of things happened and some people never did get better. If she lost her ghost, they would believe that I think” iskra nodded.

Marie looked interested in the ideas the ghost offered, she didn’t actually know the affects were so varied. “Perfect” she smiled as she continued with armouring up the titan. Anya seemed to remember some of the process of armouring up, she always seemed to take on an almost blissful nostalgia as the warlock worked. It was hard to see the emotion she did offer through clouded eyes and a stiff almost emotionless face but her emotion did shine through the dark if you looked. Anya sat a little straighter if she was happier, dropping her head if she was more sad, her pride in particular made her almost shine as the dark pulsing light under her skin became more obvious. 

As Marie spent a few minutes wrapping the titan up with her robes, she had chosen today’s set of armour for a purpose. When finished, Anya was dressed in a beautifully coloured and corseted set named the optimal set. The surface shined with currently silver patterns over a lovely blue. Since anya did tend to slouch a little, Marie had thought the corset might help support her a little better, not to mention, made her look gorgeous. She had also swapped the lighter boots for slightly more structural ones to help support her walking. Marie finished the look by gently pulling her hair back neatly before wiping away the new blood off her face. “There, how’s that my sweet” she soothed gently.

Anya who had waited patiently now curiously let her hands wander over the armour and she lit up, smiling before flinching and putting a hand to her cheek as she looked blank again. The titan then reached out to find the warlock again and Marie caught her hand helpfully. Anya didn’t hesitate to pull the warlock into a hug as she started to cry silently, she was clearly beyond happy though as she sat up proudly, still slouching a little of course but not nearly as much. Marie would be lying if she denied that the titans happiness was her favourite part of all this and she hugged Anya happily. “There we go, you look wonderful my sweet” she assured affectionately, “are you ready to go out and show off your armour?” She teased gently. 

Anya gave the idea a moment of thought before nodding looking almost excited. Iskra laughed lightly and looked to Marie playfully, “well if you say it like that, of course she’s going to agree. She loves showing off”.

Marie chuckled and pulled away, “I’ll keep that in mind” she replied playfully before looking to Anya. “I’ll be right back, you stay right here in your kitchen and I’ll get you some breakfast” she assured. Anya nodded patiently and the warlock quickly ducked upstairs to dress herself, returning after a few minutes to do exactly as promised. After getting her some breakfast and a little bit of tea, Marie gently put a helmet on anya’s head. The titan again seemed to get a little nervous but with the warlock and the support of iskra, she was content again. 

As they found themselves at the front door, Marie paused, her hand frozen on the handle as she questioned if this was a good idea. While it was true that she’d done this before, she had carried Anya to her home in the evening, not in bold daylight. There were more people around which made it both easier and more difficult for them to be caught but Marie couldn’t help but fear the possibility of capture. If they were caught, it was over for all of them, Anya would die and the three in the light would be branded traitors. Despite this, Marie still couldn’t put away her guilt, she feared that Anya would spend the rest of her life in this apartment, never able to be free to live the rest of her half life. 

Anya looked unsettled as she waited before leaning on the warlock with a content sigh. She held the warlocks hand with both of hers, squeezing them assuringly. Marie looked to her and bit her lip, after a moment she turned to hug the titan before looking defeated, she couldn’t bring herself to risk the innocent titan she cared for. “I’m sorry, I just. I don’t want to hurt you” she muttered. 

Anya looked confused at the warlock’s emotions that didn’t quite seem to align with the words. She felt the deep sad guilt that seemed to push her actions prior and the fear that now stopped her. The titan pondered the words as Marie went to move and Anya refused, tilting her head in some confusion, the voices seemed to think the warlock was lying about something. “What’s wrong?” Marie asked carefully, not fighting the titan for fear of upsetting her.

It was a long minute before Anya leaned in to wrap her arms around Marie, resting her head on her shoulders. She started speaking but through the helmets, it was impossible to hear so iskra spoke instead. “Why are you scared?” Iskra asked gently, “she’s scared you will get hurt” she replied, waiting for a response. 

With a thought, iskra continued speaking for Anya. “Already hurt, what’s left to break?” She spoke with heavy guilt.

Marie swallowed hard, the titan had a point but that didn’t mean she had nothing to lose. “I could lose you” she replied weakly, “you, your ghost, I can’t. I couldn’t handle being at fault twice, come, let’s get you more comfortable” she pushed.

Anya shook her head, giving the warlock a squeeze before letting a hand go to her chest in a fist. “Titan’s job” iskra replied after hesitating, “Anya, do you really want to go? Marie can just go herself” she assured. 

Marie nodded in agreement, “really, I’m just packing, it will be boring” she pushed, regretting even bringing up the idea now.

Anya seemed to disagree though as she frowned, “stay with, protect, fear not” iskra replied. At that, the titan seemed determined as she caught one of the warlocks hands before feeling for the door blindly. “Safe with friend, with Marie. Light is safe” she finished as she felt the door handle and pulled on it blindly. 

Marie went to stop her looking uncertain but as she found the door, the warlock found it hard to find the will. Anya didn’t deserve to live in this apartment for the rest of her life. She sighed with defeat as Anya clumsily opened the door with curiosity, almost as if she was expecting something or one to be there. “Ok ok, point made, you are stubborn aren’t you” Marie replied quietly before holding her hand tight. “I will protect you” she promised with a new determination. 

It almost felt like the equivalent of a death March as they stepped out into the morning street and Anya seemed to look around vaguely with interest while Marie locked the door behind them. The warlock held her hand tightly and started walking slowly, leading the titan gently while observing her with mixed feelings. After a few steps of distraction, Marie’s curiosity won over, “do you see something my sweet?” She asked gently. 

Anya looked to her slowly before leaning in to whisper, despite the futility of it. Iskra had her covered though. “Feels closer, light is heavier”iskra translated thoughtfully. “It makes sense, the traveller is right above our heads” the ghost mused. 

Marie bit her lip, she didn’t have a full understanding of anya’s ability to detect light but she could tell the difference from the apartment and the street she supposed. It was a slow walk to the end of the street that led to the marketplace, the street was relatively quiet but the noise started to get louder as they approached the market. Anya put a hand where her ear would be as they approached before looking confused and iskra beat Marie to the question. “What’s wrong? Maybe we should go” she muttered anxiously. 

Anya paused at that before responding cautiously, “louder, good voices? Don’t recognise” iskra explained vaguely, continuing to have a conversation with herself. The ‘voices’ that Anya described were still a mystery so her carers collectively just ‘believed her’ for the most part. 

Marie pulled Anya a little closer, the marketplace wasn’t too loud but she couldn’t help feeling a bit protective. “These are good sounds” Marie promised carefully, “is it too loud?” She asked. 

Anya tilted her head as if considering the potential that there could be good sounds and shook her head. “Likes them, I think, little familiar” the titan admitted and iskra continued thoughtfully, “ill watch her mood, but for now she’s ok” she warned. The walk though was beginning to show as Anya now looked tired, becoming clumsy in her steps and leaning on the warlock more. Marie gently led her over to a metal bench and helped her sit down so they could rest and hopefully not be too obvious. The titan seemed to have trouble settling, sitting as she was guided too but she brought her hands to hold the warlocks tight, her hands were a little twitchy though as if she was anxious in the new atmosphere. 

Marie was likely just as anxious as the titan but she was trying not to be as she watched the crowd through her helmet. Perhaps this was enough for today, anya could hear the sound of life at least. The chatter of day to day work, shopping, children playing and a dog barking, even some music too, it was nice even for the warlock but Anya seemed transfixed almost, listening with focus. They had been sitting there for a few minutes when Marie noticed a few guardians enter the area and she couldn’t help but feel a bit of fear which did seem to concern Anya as she leaned over to Marie for comfort. “Safe?” She asked bluntly. 

Marie nodded and pulled her into a protective hug, “yes my sweet, do you want to walk again?” She asked gently, She considered just heading home now. Anya considered the question and nodded so Marie didn’t waste time in helping her up so they could move, the problem was that the guardians came the same way they had done so instead, she headed into the opposite side of the market plaza, holding her close as they wandered slowly. Their outside appearance was that of a couple perhaps, Marie had her arm looped around the titan’s, clutching her hand tightly as she supported Anya. while they gathered a few glances of curious people, they were left alone. 

Marie was subtly keeping an eye on the guardians who had ducked into the guardian crossroads cafe, or better known as Eva’s place between guardians. Sometimes grandma was used too but it depended on the guardian, Eva was a universal support for a lot of guardians as she ran the tower wide events for the most part. She flinched as she saw the guardians leave and Marie quickly changed direction, heading into the high dive restaurant to break line of sight. 

This place was an odd one and a lot of people wondered why it had such an odd name. There was a reason, and it was a little morbid. Guardians had odd habits and especially odd ideas of fun, chief among them was called tower jumping. Whether guardians were thrown off the tower by a ‘friend’ or just jumped off for the hell of it, they had a tendency to fall right in front of the restaurant and so as a morbid joke, the owner chose the name. The guardians loved it and it was quite quiet at this time of day which was great as Marie could easily lead Anya to the chest height garden that created a barrier between them and a long fall to death. 

Anya reacted strangely once they were at the edge, leaning on the garden heavily to gaze directly towards the traveller in almost awed silence before looking away, she was definitely drawn to keep looking but it almost must have been too bright with the way she squinted a little. Marie hugged her to both support her and make sure she was ok, “how are you feeling my sweet?”.

Anya was quite content to stay in the warlocks arms and looked thoughtful, “warm, hot. Like sun” she sighed, “bright, little painful”.

Marie looked to the traveller with confusion, they were of course very close to the traveller but surely the light wasn’t hurting her, right?. “Do you want to stay?” She asked gently, “we can go” she assured. They had just got here but anya’s health was more important than avoiding guardians who weren’t even considering their existence, hopefully.

Despite her words, the titan didn’t seem rushed, almost looking relaxed as she rested a little heavier against the warlock. it was the first time she had directly been in sight of the traveller and it was clearly having some odd affects on her but she certainly wasn’t panicked. “Yes... but no” she finally murmured sounding a little more tired, as if there was a weight on her that wasn’t before. “Home... but not” she added with confusion, glancing directly up to the traveller again, sounding almost solemn through iskra’s translations, “Lonely”. 

Marie bit her lip as she felt a wave of guilty sorrow and that was enough, “I think we should go” she suggested, gently pulling her towards the exit. Anya briefly wanted to fight her but relented without a word, following her a little sluggishly back out to the street where it hadn’t been so bad. The guardians were gone again thankfully so Marie took the opportunity to move on but she had to find somewhere for Anya to rest, she knew that much. the closest place just happened to be Eva’s cafe so that’s where she went. 

The cafe was still quiet other than morning tea coffee dates. it was easy enough to help Anya sit down at an outside table, Marie sitting beside her with a sigh, This was her own idea but she was still feeling the stress. once settled, Anya leaned against the warlock with a content hum, clutching her hands affectionately. Despite all the pressure, the warlock couldn’t help but smile a little, Anya seemed happy which was what she wanted of course but she was almost expecting so much worse to happen instead.

“Is that better my sweet?” Marie asked gently, squeezing her hands affectionately. 

The titan lifted their hands to her chest affectionately as iskra translated, she sounded happier now as she reflected anya’swords. “Happy with you” she replied. 

Marie blushed shyly with a chuckle, “oh princess charming I see, what are you sucking up for” she teased lightly. While she kept her guard up, she was hoping to keep the titan happy. 

Anya squeezed her hand playfully as she looked vaguely in the warlocks direction and this time iskra sounded a bit flustered, “only for you” she replied reluctantly, “now’s the time you choose to come out and play” she added with a mutter. 

The warlock laughed lightly and sighed, “maybe it’s the change of pace that jogged your memory” she mused thoughtfully, “are you having fun my sweet?”.

Anya considered the words and was slow to answer, finally nodding, “like a memory, can’t remember it” she replied, “peaceful”.

“Maybe that’s the titan in you” she smiled, “it’s safe here because of the titan’s, because of you” Marie admitted. 

Anya once more considered the words before they were interrupted gently by a loving older voice. Marie flinched slightly before warming up on seeing Eva Levante standing at the table with a warm expression. “Good morning my dears, can I help you with anything?” She asked in only the way a grandmother could. 

Marie was torn between fear of being discovered and hope that she wouldn’t notice anything, she truly adored the lovable older woman. “Uh, I don’t know” she replied sounding flustered. 

Anya however looked up to the voice with vague recognition. She spoke but it was a moment before iskra reluctantly appeared beside the titan, “hi Eva” she greeted carefully. 

Eva looked surprised to see the little ghost and lit up, “oh my dear, how are you, what’s your name my little one?” She asked, “I forget in my old age” she admitted apologetically, “there are so many of you sweet little lights”. 

Iskra looked shy at the compliments before looking coy, “it’s sparks, I don’t know if you remember my Russian name, iskra?” She offered. 

Eva looked surprised and smiled, “oh yes, of course, I have not see dear Anastasiya for a long time, it’s always rare to see you without her” she chuckled. Iskra paused looking a little down and unsure of where to go from here but Eva was perceptive and her smile faded, “did I say something wrong my dear?”. 

Iskra shook her head quickly, not wanting to upset her before looking to Marie for help and the warlock jumped in awkwardly. “Uh, Anastaysia-stasiya, she doesn’t work anymore” she replied quickly before realising her mistake. The open ended reply left far too many questions.

Eva looked confused, in her life, Anya had adored the old woman. The titan had quite the sweet tooth so she would come in every week almost for her favourite home cooked sweets, she’d even helped Eva with an odd festival or two. Eva had known Anya a long time just because the titan was always around, it was odd that she wasn’t. “Well, I never thought I’d see it” eva admitted carefully, “anastasiya, she struck me as the type to work herself to death, she retired? Where is she these days?” She asked. 

They went to reply before the titan who hid in warlock robes blindly found the table to reach out a hand and Marie caught it as casually as she could while iskra took her attention. “Oh, uh, yeah, she, she gets busy, so I just. You know I work occasionally as an aide now” the ghost admitted, “retirement doesn’t suit me”. 

Eva searched the group with a long gaze, they could almost feel her seeing through them and she looked to the three with a sigh. “I hate to tell you my darlings, but i am old enough to tell when you don’t wish to say anything” she offered before smiling lightly, “if you ever need to talk however, I am here”. 

Marie teared up subtly at the response, she didn’t want to break the grandmothers heart with the truth or the lies. “I wish I could tell you, but I cannot speak in such an open place, and I don’t wish to hurt you” she sighed with guilt, “things are not so well for anastasiya” she admitted, “but we appreciate you” she admitted as she Anya again tried to reach for Eva. “No my sweet, you can’t do that” she warned gently, “no touching without permission”. Marie hoped this was enough to deter the titan.

Eva however as ever as observant and offered her hands, “it’s ok my dear, you may hold my hands if you wish” she offered lovingly. Marie looked terrified but with that, she could no longer stop Anya who looked torn before blindly feeling for her hands. It was instant when her hands clutched the old woman’s, Eva flinched and shivered, looking at the titan was shock as if she’d been struck by lightning. She tried not to let it settle though, quickly putting a more strained smile on. “Who are you my dear? Are you per chance blind?” She asked gently. 

Marie nodded and couldn't help but panic a little on the inside, “she is, I’m caring for her, I uh, spend my days off helping ex-guardians” she rushed awkwardly. “Uh, maybe we should go, I really should have my friend here home already” she admitted. She was terrible at hiding her emotions.

Iskra nodded, “totally, yeah, that’s why I’m here too” she agreed.

Anya could sense the different emotions in the air and in the people around them, she was used to the dull anxiety of the warlock. It was a protective worry directed towards herself but that emotion had changed to panic and the hands in front of her even had a flicker of fear in them. Anya was quickly becoming overwhelmed and drew back looking upset, putting a hand where her ear would be. Eva wasn’t convinced and now that the other warlock looked upset to, the woman was concerned. “Is everything alright?” She asked, her gaze flicking back to the titan. 

On realising the titan was panicking, Marie felt worse but realised they needed to hide now just in case her darkness fluctuated. “Uh, my friend here, she needs a moment too herself, I’m so sorry Eva” she apologised, getting up carefully, never removing a hand from the titan’s shoulder so she knew the warlock wasn’t leaving.

“Uh, I have to help, calm her...” iskra added awkwardly before entering anya’s armour quickly. 

The woman looked surprised before looking guilty, “I’m sorry, if you wish, you may borrow my home, I didn’t mean to upset her, follow me if you wish” she offered, standing up to lead. 

With anya moving into starting to scratch, Marie was forced to agree, nodding, scratching was a sign of irritation and lack of control, it was bad. “That would be wonderful” she replied weakly. 

Eva smiled a little stiffly, guilt clear as she turned and lead the way through the cafe. It was a bit slow trying to lead the blinded titan through the maze of tables but they eventually reached the counter where Eva let them through and into the back room. A young girl who was working gave them a weird look as they passed the kitchen but otherwise Eva led them up a set of stairs. Eva apparently lived above the cafe as they were shown through a door into a warmly decorated living room and Marie had to almost carry Anya up the last few steps, letting her down on the lounge. 

“Please, make yourself comfortable, I apologise for upsetting her” Eva added before leaving the room to head back down to the cafe.

Marie waited until she was gone before she felt like she could breath, she had her ghost check for security before tearing her helmet off and following with the titan’s. Anya was crying, mouthing something but it was indecipherable and her hands clutched her head roughly as soon as she was able. “Shh, shh, my sweet, it’s ok, it’s safe, I’m here” Marie assured as she gently clutched the titan’s hands to stop her from trying to hurt herself. Her face was a mess of black from her lips and tears while her gaze was distant. 

Iskra appeared to nudge her cheek despite the mess, “we are right here, see, it’s safe” she added confidently, “it’s ok anya”. 

Anya seemed to find it hard to break away from the overwhelming anxiety caused by the collective groups mood but Marie gently settled behind her, shifting to bring the titan into a tight supportive hug so she could feel safe. With both the warlock and ghost calming down, It was a few minutes before the crying seemed to slow, finally catching up to the calmer atmosphere. She looked tired as she calmed and Marie gently shifted to lean back a little more comfortably so Anya in turn could get more comfortable in her arms. Marie started by cleaning her face in case anyone came up, hopefully they could explain the sickness, but the bloody tears were another thing. once she was clean though, the warlock started to gently stroke her hair, hoping that maybe a rest might help them get back home.

Anya was reluctant to sleep despite the warlocks best effort, the titan had calmed down but was now in a mood where she refused to rest. She didn’t feel comfortable in the new space and kept mumbling in a mix of Russian or common, perhaps Eva’s accent had triggered it but it made for an even more worrying problem. Marie was worrying about how she was going to get home so the extra language tick didn’t help at all, not to mention, she was concerned that Eva would come up and chaos would ensue. The warlock was definitely regretting her choices by now. she didn’t regret how happy Anya had been, just the fact she couldn’t support the titan enough to avoid this end.

By the time Marie thought they could get away with leaving, they realised that it was now midday and it was impossible to make it through the cafe without an extremely high chance of being caught. It meant they were stuck there in Eva’s living room for another few hours. It was about mid afternoon when there was a gentle knock and the warlock had started studying to pass the time. Marie wasn’t really paying attention as she had Anya in her lap laying down on the lounge and a book in her other hand. She flinched as the knocking brought her back to reality, the titan was crying of course so she was a mess and her helmet was out of reach. The warlock was a little panicked but pulled out a handkerchief to clean her up before calling out. 

“Uh, come in” she greeted weakly, just hoping she could pull this off as she low key tried to hide anya’s face underneath her fussing.

The door opened carefully and Eva let herself in politely, “oh, you are still here, I thought perhaps I had missed you leaving” she admitted gently, “can I get you anything my dears?” Eva offered lovingly as she stood in the doorway.

Marie blushed a little looking flustered, “oh, uh, no, I am ok” she promised before looking apologetic. “I am sorry, a- she doesn’t like crowds so I was waiting for the lunch rush to pass” she explained awkwardly. 

Eva looked to Anya with a grandmotherly concern, “oh my poor dear, what did you say her name was? Maybe I can get her something” she offered gently. If she had noticed anything, she was either choosing not to say anything or not reacting at all. 

Anya once again seemed to react strangely, pausing as she listened before blindly finding the warlocks hands to free her face despite the warlocks resistance. Marie quickly felt the panic rise up again and looked to Eva, “uh, well, she likes tea, with sugar, she has a sweet tooth” she joked awkwardly.

“Sweet tea, I think I can manage that” Eva mused lightly, “and for you my dear?” She asked happily. 

Marie blushed, “oh, tea, I like tea too, it’s why we get along” she chuckled, “only mines hot”. Anya had had about enough of all this though and finally pulled away from the warlocks distracted hands, sitting up looking irritated. Naturally, her face was still a little stained, her eyes misty and grey while she looked sickly. Her hair had frayed in messy frizz but that didn’t change the lifeless quality it had. 

Eva looked taken aback at the sight and she instinctively took a step back as her eyes went wide. Marie looked terrified and stood quickly tearing up, “I can explain, I swear, please, just allow me to explain, I beg of you” she stuttered looking upset. 

Eva swallowed hard as she eyed the warlock before putting a hand on her chest, taking a deep breath and mumbling to herself before nodding, “it’s ok my dear, I was just surprised, that’s all, how about I make us some tea and we can talk” she offered. The woman still looked unsettled but perhaps her age allowed her to accept what she was seeing. 

Marie nodded and anya looked vaguely towards the voice with interest, clearly drawn to her for some reason but it was unclear why. Eva shivered slightly at the gaze but nodded, escaping downstairs and closing the door behind her. The warlock felt like jumping off the tower and not resurrecting as she begun to comprehend the danger they were in. She could barely stand and sat down looking defeated before looking to the titan with pain, This was Marie’s fault after all. After a moment, the warlock caught anya’s hands tearfully and got her attention. “Anya, my sweet, I-we, we need to be on your best behaviour ok? This is life or death, I will protect you” she assured strongly before softening, “I just need you to be good, no matter what happens ok?”. 

Annoyance flashed through the titan’s features before she seemed to understand the warlocks emotions, A mix of fear, dread, guilt and sadness. Anya looked a little frightened at the turn of emotion, she was used to anxiety but this was scary. She nodded and leaned in to cuddle against Marie with a guilty sigh. The warlock just figured she would hold her, there was nothing more that could be done if Eva called for help. 

It was a long ten minutes before there was a knock and Eva let herself in again, this time with a beautiful China teapot, with matching cups and a plate of what seemed to be cookies. Her gaze lingered on Anya for a moment before she set the tray down on the coffee table and sat herself down gracefully. “Now my dear, any sugar?” She asked gently as she poured a cup of fragrant tea, it smelled of chamomile and honey. 

Marie looked to her reluctantly, surprised that she actually went to get tea, although they weren’t out of the woods yet. Hopefully Eva hadn’t called for backup. “Uh, no, no thank you” she replied awkwardly. 

Eva nodded and set a cookie on the saucer, it was shaped like a purple donut with the warlock symbol decorating the top like a little bow. “Here you are, camomile tea, I find it most calming” she admitted before smiling gently, “and they say my cooking is irresistible, I thought you might like a cookie” she added, setting the tea down in front of Marie. 

Marie blushed looking flustered again at the thought, swallowing hard. “Thank you Eva, I uh, appreciate the thought” she replied before looking guilty, “I can explain, I truly am looking after-“.

Marie was cut off by Eva meeting her gaze with a sigh. “Tell me my dear, do my eyes deceive me or does your friend look remarkably like a titan I used to know” she questioned, almost sounding afraid for the answer as her gaze moved to Anya. 

Marie found it had to find the words and iskra appeared with reluctant guilt. “Your eyes don’t deceive you, I uh, this is. She is Anya” she admitted with sorrow.

Eva seemed to take the words and pour herself a cup of tea as she considered them. After a long moment of thought and a sip of tea, she returned her gaze to the ghost and her broken titan. “You know this is the quietest I’ve ever heard my Anastasiya, such a joy she was. I’ve missed her” she admitted. “I suppose I miss most guardians like this, but some people stand out” she sighed. The woman set her cup down looking sorrowful, “tell me, what happened to her” she asked, “her hands were so cold”.

Anya was a little unsettled as her gaze found the older woman’s direction, clearly wanting to approach but now doing as what she was told in fear of being hurt. Iskra’s voice cracked a little as she replied weakly, “she was left on the moon, we both were. The vanguard thinks she is dead” the ghost explained. “I just, I couldn’t live without her, it’s my fault” she rushed, “please, if you must tell the vanguard, then please, it was all my fault” she begged. 

Marie looked to the ghost with fear. “No, you won’t take the fall alone” she assured. 

Eva considered the group before smiling gently. “Iskra my lovely little light, I could never judge. If I recall correctly, I have known you both for longer than we care to admit, it seems only fair that you feel that way” she replied before softening, “I have not told anyone, although you did surprise me” she added. 

The ghost looked stunned at her words, “but. You felt it, the dark. The cold. She has no light anymore, that’s why she is cold. She looks like a monster” iskra replied looking flustered. “You don’t fear her?” She asked.

Eva considered the words before again looking sorrowful, “so this is darkness. I have heard so much about the dark, but it has never touched me this directly” she admitted. “It’s different than the cold of the red war” she sighed, “perhaps I fear her, but fear is simply misunderstanding. Anastasiya, she likes her tea warm?” She offered as she poured a half cup of tea and added sugar. 

Marie nodded, unable to believe what she was hearing. “Yes, I fear if it is too hot, it will hurt her” she explained awkwardly, “I have to help her drink it, Anya, she is clumsy, now” she trailed off.

Eva nodded looking understanding, “of course, I recall you mentioned she was blind?” She asked gently. Once she had mixed in the sugar, Eva then put ice into the drink to cool it before getting up with the half filled cup in her hands. She was a little reluctant but stepped gently over to Anya and kneeled down, gently touching one of the titan’s hands. “Anastasiya my dear, would you like some tea?” She offered.

Anya flinched before shifting her gaze vaguely to the woman’s new position, nodding as she offered her hands looking curious. With permission, Eva gently set the cup in her hands before helping to guide it to her mouth without spilling the tea. Anya let out a content sigh after a little sip, her gaze never leaving the woman and after a moment, she looked as if she wanted to say something but Eva didn’t understand her whisper. “What’s that Anastasiya?” She repeated gently.

Marie looked a little awkward as she took over with the tea, “she can’t talk very loudly, she has a unique condition and only whispers” she explained. 

Eva looked surprised to learn that but nodded, taking the titan’s hands properly to lean in, “what was that my dear?” She asked gently. She was quiet for a moment she she focused on listening but smiled, “oh you cheeky girl” she mused, “I missed you too”. Marie looked confused to the two and Eva nodded and pulled away. “She called me babuska, Russian for grandmother” she explained gently with amusement.

Iskra looked as if she suddenly understood and almost fell out of the sky. “No wonder she’s been so fussy, she recognises you” she sighed before looking to the titan with frustration. “You made us worry over something like that, we almost got in deep trouble” she lectured. 

Marie looked blank until she too realised and she rolled her eyes, “of course. Is obvious now” she agreed. 

Eva looked between the two before squeezing the titan’s hand lovingly, “oh be gentle with her, I’m sure she didn’t mean it” she mused before looking to Marie. “Can Anastasiya have a cookie? I brought it just for her” she admitted.

Marie looked unsure and bit her lip, “well, I feed her soup, and tea. Talking is painful so I imagine swallowing is not so easy either, I think a cookie might be too dry” she replied with guilt.

Eva considered this before smiling, “well, how about we try this” she mused as she freed a hand and picked up a decorated cookie in the shape of a helmet. Marie wasn’t sure what she was doing until she dipped the cookie, icing and all in her tea for a moment. “Here, this shouldn’t be too warm for you” she offered, “open your mouth my dear”. Anya looked unsure but did as she was told and Eva helped her bite a little of the softened cookie. 

Anya looked even more uncertain for a moment as she almost played with the taste and sensation, it wasn’t long before she gave a small smile, clearly enjoying the treat. Marie looked a little embarrassed, she’d never considered doing that and felt incredibly silly. “Traveller help me, I suppose she will expect cookies more often then” the warlock joked.

Eva smiled with a chuckle, “I’ll make sure to send some home with you” she assured, “I’ll send her favourites”. 

Anya gave a content sigh as she offered a hug, clearly much happier now that she could figure out if she knew the voice or not, it turned out that she did after all. Marie looked to iskra carefully. “So, Anya, she really must have liked Eva right?” She asked curiously, “I mean we all do” she added and gave the older woman a smile, “but Anya remembers her among all the things she doesn’t remember” the warlock explained.

Iskra looked thoughtful as Eva pulled the broken titan into a loving hug, holding her much like a mother would. “Well, I’m not totally surprised. Anya would visit the cafe every week, if not every other day for a coffee on the the go and of course to feed her sweet tooth. She always like to check on Eva, to make sure she wasn’t working too hard. It’s how she got wrapped up in setting up some tower events” iskra explained before looking affectionately too Eva. “Beyond that, she really liked you, you felt like family to her. The modern Russian helped a bit, she could relate to you and she didn’t feel so, alone, in her heritage, which was why she’d call you babushka rather than Eva if it was more private” she added. 

Eva pulled away before pressing a kiss on the titan’s head. “Guardian’s have no family, often they work alone or work with heavy expectations, I know this” she admitted. “guardian’s are heroes, but they are also people, I believe this. All people deserve family and love, so I give it in the vacancy of a family or loved ones. Even heroes need someone to be human with occasionally” Eva mused before looking solemnly towards Anya. “I enjoyed anastasiya’s happiness, her joy and life. She always made me and everyone around her happy, I forgot my age around her” she admitted with a sigh, “she was charming in every sense of the word. People, especially guardians like that are rare, they support the ones around them. it is truly a loss to have lost her light, but perhaps now she can rest. I never knew her to stop, but I suppose all things are victim to time”. Anya was clearly content in Eva’s energy. even if she didn’t smile, her body language showed her mood as she looked a little less wary and more relaxed.

Marie bit her lip with guilt. “I, I had met her a few times, but I never got the chance to get to know her” the warlock admitted, “but I remember exactly what you are speaking of”. On the moon, Anya had pushed all the warlocks hard, forcing them to keep going despite the darkness and fear that threatened to overtake them. The hive that chased them from the cold and Barron moon couldn’t crack the titan’s determination to get everyone else out. Even before things went bad, she helped keep up spirits. 

Eva looked to the warlock thoughtfully, “how did you come to care for my dear Anastasiya?” She asked. 

Marie looked awkward at the question, as if wondering if she should mention it but after a moment, she sighed. “I uh, I was the one to find her” she explained uncomfortably, “she was, broken, I should have killed her”. The warlock clutched her hands together and lowered her gaze to her lap, “If the vanguard knew, I would be kicked out of the tower for treason. They would kill Anya, she is a monster, incredibly dangerous if not observed in the right manner”. Marie was quiet for a moment, twisting her hands as if she was a child in trouble, “but I couldn’t take a guardian away from her ghost, not until sparks was ready. I was prepared to help her, free her, but then she started getting better. Sparks, I just couldn’t separate them, and here we are, I was terrified of being caught” she admitted. 

Eva looked to Anya with consideration, “I must be honest, she scared me. True darkness has never touched my heart before now and I can’t imagine how it must feel”. She then looked back to Marie, “the light works in mysterious ways, perhaps you were meant to find her, but it appears that she is in safe hands. When Anastasiya was upset before, was she dangerous?” She asked. 

Iskra looked awkward, “Anya can be, unpredictable, when she is upset. Sometimes she gets angry, other times she isn’t but her darkness fluctuates and beyond alerting every guardian in the area to her presence accidentally. I fear she may hurt civilians if she gets too upset one day” she admitted. “When she is happy, she is sweet. A bit of a scaredy cat, trust is hard for her” she muttered, “but I swear, there’s a lot of bad, but more good” she assured with determination. 

Marie nodded in agreement, “in the way that guardians use the light, Anya can use the dark” she added, “but it drains her, hurts her. She only ever wants to use them in fear and defence. It makes her dangerous, but as long as she trusts you, you are safe” she assured. 

Eva smiled and pulled out a handkerchief to lovingly clean the titan’s face, Anya had started to cry black again as well as spill from the corners of her lips. “Well warlocks are wonderful creatures” she mused, “I have faith that you will look after Anastasiya, for both her own safety, but for those who live in the tower. I am glad to see she is in good hands”. 

Marie blushed a little at the compliment, Anya of course was used to the warlocks fussing so she was patient as the old women cleaned her up. Iskra looked to the woman with adoration, “thank you, we owe you our lives” she admitted.

Eva waved the ghost off with a chuckle, “oh nonsense my dear, I am just being a good host” she replied before looking gentle. “If you wish, I can tell you when it is easier to leave if there is nothing else I can help with? I’d hate to see you all come this far to run into tragedy” Eva offered. 

Marie looked stunned before smiling brightly, “thank you, I fear too much of a crowd would upset her, let alone someone could sense her” she explained.

Eva nodded and settled to finish her tea after freeing herself from Anya who almost looked disappointed. “Of course, until then, if you wish, I will not understand a lot I am sure but you can speak with me” she offered before sipping her tea, “you seem like you do not get to talk much”.

Marie blushed again and chuckled, “well, Anya gets anxious when left alone, I think her mind plays tricks on her so I can’t leave her alone for long” she admitted. After a long moment she gave a grateful smile to the woman, “just this much has helped” she added with relief, “it’s hard when you have no one to talk too”.

Eva nodded, “I am glad to know, you can visit whenever you feel the need” she smiled.

While the days events had been highly unexpected, It was nice to get a load off marie’s shoulders, Only one person knew about Anya until now and she wasn’t particularly friendly or talkative. to have someone to talk to meant a lot to The warlock who got lonely sometimes. It was nice to know she could still go to Eva as guardians had come to do over the years, she was a silent support, offering a parental affection to most if they wanted it. Eva had promised not to tell the vanguard despite the risk, not only did she become an ally for Marie, she was also another person to offer Anya support in the future which was a nice feeling, perhaps the titan wouldn’t be so alone. 

Eva was honest though, she couldn’t help feeling a little concerned about the situation, she understood to some degree the danger anya was to both civilians and guardians alike. She also understood the danger of the whole of the tower hanging over the sickly titan’s shoulders. if something went wrong, she would die without hesitation from those who found her. With this in mind, she helped them quietly escape the cafe when it was quiet, seeing them off lovingly with a wave. In future, Eva promised to visit every now and then, as well assuring that Anya had her sweets every week too. She refused to let Marie pay for the box of treats that she sent home with the two. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> honestly I'm not quite happy with thee writing here, but let me know what you think if you like


	8. A Hunter's Regret

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The return of the mysterious hunter

With the forced rest of the day, Anya had recovered her strength enough to walk properly again which was a start but she was also just as affected by the light as she was previously. She looked around with curiosity as she was surrounded with the invisible blinding light that no one else could see. Marie had to guide her a little but she didn’t fight as they slowly started walking back down their street.

After an initial fear of things going wrong, the day had been surprisingly pleasant, anya had relaxed a bit as if she remembered in some part what it was like to be at the tower. It was going well until they were a few doors away from the warlocks apartment. With anya’s vague walk, she didn’t particularly look at where she was going, not that she could. Marie certainly didn’t notice as she was focusing on making sure Anya didn’t trip up. 

It was almost tragic as the mood was instantly changed as some kids that weren’t paying attention ran into Anya clumsily. The titan couldn’t see them obviously, thus she couldn’t dodge them and Marie was quick to catch her as she lost her balance with a rough but scared squeak. Despite being caught and held tight, the damage was done, Anya clutched her tightly breathing hard with a scared whimper as she looked on edge, clearly considering the act as an attack rather than the accident it was. Luckily she found enough comfort in Marie that she simply clutched her in fear rather than attacking back.

“Sorry mam!” The kids called out as they ran past with a laugh, they were playing chase with a dog and as it ran past. the dog paused to smell the air before growling at Anya further worsening the situation and the titan somehow managed to hold her tighter, digging her hands and fingers in Marie’s body painfully as she buried her helmeted face into her shoulder.

Marie flinched with pain at the titan’s reaction, blushing slightly with a mix of concern as she felt the cold pulse of the titan’s fear. She had to do something about the dog, she kicked her foot subtly as she focused her light, sending a small burst of fire toward the dog. It was only enough to scare it away and it gave a frightened yip before running off. it was subtle enough an action that they got some looks but no one saw what happened in full. Marie turned her focus onto Anya with a deep breath, calming herself down a little as well. “hey, it’s ok my sweet, it was just some kids, they weren’t looking where they were going, that’s all, you are safe and we are almost home” the warlock promised soothingly.

Anya didn’t seem convinced but she reluctantly loosened up enough for Marie to get her moving at least. Marie didn’t waste time to move as quickly as Anya would allow, getting her back to the safety of the warlocks old apartment. Anya was starting to struggle by the time they got there as her curiosity had been tainted by intense fear of being attacked. in the ‘shadow’ of the blinding light, she could see only what she was touching and the slit second touch of a stranger was the equivalent to seeing a figure move in the darkness. Marie could never understand this, but she offered what she could, her support. She led Anya to her lounge, one of the last pieces of furniture left in her old living room and set her down gently. “there we are, it’s safe now, it’s just me and you again” marie soothed as she took the titans helmet off. 

Anya had been crying more than normal showing just how scared she was so instead of packing right away, despite it now getting pretty late into the afternoon, the warlock settled beside her and pulled out a cloth to tidy up her face affectionately. “You don’t like surprises anymore do you” marie soothed gently, “tell you what, I think I know something that can fix it” she smiled, rubbing the titan’s back gently. “I got something special for you, I’ll be right back” Marie promised before heading to the kitchen, letting the titan go gently. 

She had organised some ice-cream with the thoughts that maybe it might be soothing to anya’s hurting throat, while today’s event wasn’t the intended time, Marie thought it a good time as any to try ice-cream out with Anya. with the addition of some crushed biscuits from Eva, she returned to the titan to see if it would help comfort the very upset totan. Iskra had settled nicely in anya’s hands to keep her from fidgeting or wounding herself and she flinched on Marie’s return. “Now, tell me if you don’t like it, it’s going to be cold so don’t freak out” marie warned, “open your mouth” she soothed, trying just a little spoon of ice-cream to start with.

Anya looked uncertain, clearly having issues with trust for the moment but did as she was told resting a hand on skyes thigh for comfort. As she tenderly took in the spoon, wary of what she was putting in her mouth, she paused in consideration. Perhaps the cold or the taste had broken the negative thoughts because Anya instantly looked conflicted for a moment before she seemed to recognise it as something pleasant, sniffing but starting to calm. after giving it some thought after a few mouthfuls, considering the addition of the crumbs that were softened by the ice cream,she cheered up a little, almost smiling.

Normally anya couldn’t eat too much in the way of solid foods or even particularly hard crumbs, but the ice cream seemed to be enough to allow her to enjoy cookies and cream. she appeared to love it in her fearful and quiet mood. While anya couldn’t eat too much of it due to her health, she certainly appreciated the gesture and gave Marie a tight hug, clearly feeling a lot better after the fright.

Marie let out a grateful sigh as she observed the titan’s calming, the ice-cream shock seemed to break the fear quicker than just talking her down and she noted that in her mind for further study. She was quiet happy to just let Anya cuddle for a little though just to make sure she wouldn’t become dangerous. “Was that worth the walk?” Marie asked gently. Anya looked up to her vaguely, looking unsure before nodding and the warlock continued, “I’m glad” she soothed, “you made a new, or old friend” she mused as she started to clean the titan’s messy face. It was almost an instinct now to clean her up and she barely thought about it anymore. Marie gave her a good half hour or more before she looked to the titan reluctantly after gazing at the mess of an apartment that she somehow had to pack in less than an afternoon and night. 

Marie bit her lip as she pat anya’s back, “tell you what, I’ll clean this plate up real quick and be right back. you can rest while I pack some things here” she offered gently, “is that ok?”. While it limited what she could pack, it was at least getting something done.

Anya initially agreed and After setting up so she could get some work done, Marie helped her settle on the lounge before starting to pack nearby. She was close enough that Anya could reach out and rest a hand on the warlocks shoulder for support. Since the titan was being so helpful in not demanding her attention, Marie was quite content. after a while both guardian spaced out in their own ways, Anya had sunk into a tired coma like relaxation as she laid on the lounge while marie had focused on packing as she went through her paperwork and other stuff, sorting it as she packed it up.

A few hours passed before Anya seemed to return from her coma-like silence, her mind focusing on the fact that her warm support had moved from her hands, both the warlock and her ghost was gone. Marie had wandered off to pack in her room since the titan didn’t seem to argue. She promised to check on her but her work captured her again, leaving anya alone in the living room. It was a place she’d never really been, so Anya was wary. 

The titan waited for what felt like hours, it was only a few minutes though. She hoped that Marie or iskra would return but there was ominous silence besides the whispers caused by her condition. She didn’t like listening to the whispers, they were mean and sowed seeds of doubt into her mind, causing her anxiety and fear. For the moment she shrugged the voices off weakly as she started to cry, wanting to find someone, anyone who could give her something else to focus on. Anya started to try and feel her way around the lounge to begin with, to her, she could very well have been stuck on the edge of a cliff miles in the air because there was nothing beyond the worn leather of the lounge she was on. 

With a shaky breath, Anya gathered her courage to fearfully try and find the floor, blindly searching with her hands and following the edges down until she felt comfortable in awkwardly climbing down. She remained clutching the edge of the lounge though as she searched the nearby area to try and find any one or thing that was familiar. There was nothing but empty space surrounding her and the lounge and she teared up and tried to listen for where Marie was in the hopes that she could find something.

This unfortunately didn’t work either as the apartment was silent. Marie muttered as she packed but not loudly enough to indicate where she was leaving the titan with nothing but drowning light. Anya started to panic at that point as she felt as if she was being suffocated by the light around her, in a desperate act, she took a gamble, releasing the lounge to crawl. She looked for anything but she realised she made a mistake when she could no longer find the lounge leaving her even more hopelessly lost. 

a side affect that no one knew of properly yet was the whispers she could hear due to her condition. The whispers were always there, they spoke in a mix of languages, sometimes in common, other times in Russian or a beastial language of pain and torture. They were quiet when she was with someone safe, wether that be her ghost or Marie. The warm light of the warlock seemed to scare away the voices almost while her ghost gave her the strength to not listen. The voices got louder when she was upset, going from whispers to chatter, even screaming at worst. She understood every harsh word of doubt, mistrust and fear that the voices spoke, despite the language. Each word burned into her mind, making her question which of them were reality which only helped to further her anxiety. There was only one line voice that she recognised was different, it sounded like herself and always said the opposite of all the other voices. It was positive but the bad voices drowned her out. Sometimes the voices were quiet enough to hear her properly, she was the Russian voice, she spoke both common and Russian, telling her things that she remembered or soothing her sometimes, She felt familiar.

The whispers turned to voices before starting to scream warnings and dangers in her mind, she could barely hear anything over them now as she searched hopelessly for someone to save her from the void of light that was swallowing her whole. The darkness inside was all she could feel as she became acutely aware of the gentle burn eating away at her. It was harmless, she made more darkness than the light could snuff out but in her fear, she felt herself being destroyed, The voices feared the light snuffing them out, fearing death.

It was then that she heard the door open and she backed up blindly with a scared whimper, the voices were enough, now she didn’t know if they were making her hear things or if she was in danger. she had no idea who was where but she flinched as someone took her hand, it wasn’t Marie, she knew that instantly, her light was warm and comforting. The light that she felt was cold and distant, not unfriendly but clearly not warm like Marie. She shook off the hand warily and shook her head looking for a way out, she was slightly less afraid because there was no dangerous intent but she still didn’t like it and felt herself falling into more panic as she broke into frightened tears.

“Hey, Anya, it’s me. Veta, do you remember me?” A voice asked gently. The voice wasn’t the same as Marie, she spoke with a soft and gentle French voice. there was a cold edge to this new voice, there was a sweetness, but it was almost drowned out by a harsher Russian accent. It wasn’t entirely unfriendly though so Anya paused with confusion for long enough so that the familiar light of iskra could nudge her hand. The titan didn’t hesitate to catch the ghost gratefully, holding her to her cheek tearfully.

Iskra felt guilty, it was heavy in her light and voice but Anya didn’t care as she clutched the ghost. “It’s ok, I’m here too” she promised soothingly, “I was just talking to Veta, you remember her don’t you?” Iskra questioned carefully.

Anya took a few deep breathes and continued to hold iskra close before looking in the vague direction that she remembered the other voice coming from. Not that she was able to tell, she stared directly past the hunter with uncertainty, the name felt vaguely familiar but she couldn’t recognise it, beyond that.

The voice sighed with an edge of pained disappointment but tried to sound pleasant. It’s ok if you don’t, I only told you my name once” Veta soothed awkwardly before chuckling, “maybe boa rings a bell, I told you that one plenty”. Despite the awkwardness heavy in the cold Russian voice, she was trying her best to be nice but she didn’t seem to know exactly what she should say.

At the mention of boa, the word struck a chord somewhere in anya’s mind. It took a moment to register as the word seemed to tease her memories, probing the knowledge she knew once. as the word settled, a memory vaguely found its way to the surface, she remembered a vague shadow of a hunter that seemed to bring up pleasant feelings, the word boa somehow connecting to said shadow but she didn’t know why. Anya corrected her gaze a little as she looked to the new voice, giving a small nod but she didn’t seem confident. Since the voice hadn’t hurt her yet, not even trying to touch her, she figured that the voice was nice and anya reluctantly held out a hand toward the voice. she felt the same cold unwelcoming light making her shiver but at least she understood that the light didn’t want to hurt her.

Iskra spoke seemingly to the voice next, “Sit beside her, she can’t see so be patient with her” iskra informed carefully. after a moment, Anya felt someone sit beside her, the same cold but friendly light and she reluctantly felt for the presence finding the self named ‘boa’ again.

Boa took the titan’s hand between hers gently feeling guilty and upset, clearly worried about Anya in a similar manner that Marie did. “Can she speak?” Boa asked quietly.

“She can only whisper, it hurts to talk too much, she only talks if she has too” iskra explained before pausing, “or wants too” she added.

Anya listened to the conversation vaguely, she could keep up since it was a short conversation. The titan carefully freed her ghost looking wary before freeing her other hand. she was reluctant but after a moment she followed boa’s hand up to her arm, pausing to check if she was upsetting boa before following it up to her shoulder. Boa seemed wary, but not offended, allowing Anya to do as she wanted. The titan carefully studied what she felt, slowly taking in the feel of gloves that moved onto a thinner leather sleeve that was tight to her body. She wore plates she recognised as wrist armour but it was light unlike what she remembered. Boa’s shoulder was armoured but again, it was lighter than anya’s armour. When she felt the fabric hanging over the armour, following it to the loop around her throat, it was then that Anya realised she was a hunter. 

The vague shadow of a memory seemed to become clearer as she linked the cold friendly light to the memory, this was the same boa, she knew this person once. Anya tried to be polite now that she had an idea of who she was with and she withdrew her hands carefully as not to make boa feel uncomfortable.

Boa chuckled as she set a hand on the titan’s shoulder gently, “it’s ok, you don’t have to be polite for me” she offered, “you were always a bitch” she finished with an awkward joke, feeling unsure, as if afraid to upset her. Anya stared at her looking conflicted, she could see the vague purple outline in the light now with boa touching her. It was a moment before the titan decided that she had nothing to fear from boa and she offered her hands again with a nod.

The hunter took her hands and held them tightly, relief now heavy in her light. She seemed happy, though it was a controlled happiness, “you look good my friend” boa sighed, “Do you remember how we met?” She asked gently. the thoughts were fuzzy, Anya could still only remember a vague shadow but an odd sense of tension was there, flickering through like a whisper. Anya shook her head looking curious, perhaps the hunter could explain and boa continued. “I was trying to steal stuff from you” she admitted awkwardly, “you beat the shit out of me, it was terrifying”.

Anya looked uncertain at the words but they sounded strangely familiar. The shadow seemed to change as she spoke as the tension turned to vague anger for a moment and faded. She didn’t feel angry at the hunter, but Anya found herself believing her words, as if she knew she was right despite her fuzzy mind. “It’s ok if you don’t remember it” boa assured, “but I do, hurt like motherfucker. I could swear you were made of metal” she chuckled before a sadness took over. Boa paused heavily, considering her words before continuing, “I have a confession to make. I uh, you made deal with me” she muttered awkwardly. “I had to follow you around like dog, helping you out. you claimed that you would befriend me one day” boa explained with guilt, “I told you that I’d never acknowledge you”. 

Anya looked confused at the words, they rang through her mind somewhat clearly as the shadow of the hunter seemed to come alive in her mind. With the new clarity, she heard a voice, her voice. The voice seemed to almost unlock her mind as the memory became clear, the hunters words telling a story that she recognised as her own. Anya looked towards boa with surprise as she further cemented who the hunter was in her mind. This hunter was a friend, she remembered how they met, mostly, she didn’t know what else they had done together, but boa was someone she considered special once.

Boa seemed a little surprised that the titan seemingly remembered as much as she did, or at least she looked like she remembered. “Do you remember that?” Boa asked with a chuckle before sighing, “well that makes things easier” she admitted. The hunter then felt deeply guilty as she continued, squeezing anyas hands, “I uh, I was determined to prove you wrong” she begun, “I didn’t like you. you were annoying, over confident, loud and so obnoxious” she complained jokingly. “you asked me what my name was and I said I’d tell you if you ever managed to befriend me” boa spoke as sadness started to well up inside her. “I told myself, I’d never be your friend. I fought your friendship” she trailed off with pain. 

Anya felt the hunter consider her feeling before pulling the titan’s hands close, “i was being stubborn” she sniffed, “I didn’t want you to win, but you did” boa explained before sounding pained. “and then you never came back” she murmured, “that’s when I realised” she sighed. Boa shook herself off awkwardly with a sniff, “I don’t know if you still want to be friends but, my name is lizabeta” she explained before feeling embarrassed. “My friends call me Veta. Or the would if I had any” she added awkwardly, “if your still interested, I want to be your friend” she muttered. 

While it was clear that the hunter was not very good at talking to people, the emotions she spoke of were obvious. Boa had been wrestling with these feeling for a long time and there was a sense of relief now that they were off her chest. Anya listened quietly, reading her as she spoke but she was overwhelmed with emotion by the end, tearing up with a nod. She blindly freed her hands to find Veta’s shoulder so she could lean in to speak in her ear. “nice name” she spoke weakly, it felt like grating sandpaper when she spoke but this was important and she carefully offered a hug. the hunter apparently took her up on it as anya found herself surrounded by the friendly cold light, shivering from the sensation. This didn’t stop Anya from hugging back appreciatively though as a sense of peace overcame her.

“Thanks” Veta replied sounding a little upset, “you know I almost miss how annoying you were” she teased weakly. Anya looked taken aback by the backwards compliment and frowned a little, pulling away to shake her head before smiling a little. Anya liked this person, this boa, or Veta. She tried to cement the name in her head but it was already slipping. She looked around thoughtfully before remembering iskra. now she felt safer with the hunter here, she just wanted her ghost back so she could find Marie. 

Veta shifted once she realised the titan was looking for something and put a hand on her shoulder gently, she could only assume she wanted her ghost or the mystery warlock she stayed with but she wasn’t sure. “Do you want the warlock?” Veta asked gently, “or iskra?”. Anya nodded before looking torn, she wanted both but she lost her words. 

Iskra floated over to nudge her hand gently, “right here anya” she spoke up assuringly. Anya didn’t hesitate to catch and hold the ghost to her chest once more before looking lost, trying to think of a way to explain that she wanted Marie. After a long moment where both both and iskra waited, the titan pulled on her robes expectantly. “You want to know where Marie is?” Iskra suggested gently.

With a nod, she felt the hunter take her hands surportively. “You are about as slow as you were, it like nothing changed” Veta teased gently before offering to help her up, “I can show you where she is”. Anya paused at the joke looking almost offended but she could read the hunters light, she didn’t mean her words so it must have been a joke. The titan eyed her form vaguely before smacking Veta’s hand lazily in response, making Veta chuckle. 

With the hunters support, she was helped to her feet clumsily. Veta was much shorter than the titan who stood at 5’8, she was only 5’4 in comparison so it was a little odd seeing the small and petite hunter supporting the rather tall and clumsy Anya. Once up, Veta huffed as she allowed Anya to find her feet properly, “you are lucky you’re not as heavy as you used to be or you’d be living on the floor for the rest of your life” she joked gently. The Anya that Veta remembered was an incredibly strong woman with almost more muscle than armour, she would never have had a hope of carrying Anya by herself let alone armoured but the titan had lost the magnificent form she had. She had begun her dark life as a skeletal corpse, extremely anorexic and fragile. Even armoured, Veta could see the affect of the warlock’s care. She was still thin, sickly and somewhat scary, not to mention, especially broken in her mind. Anya now at least felt human now as she was gaining weight, a little below a healthy weight yet but she was getting there. Her strength too was starting to recover as there was a time she couldn’t move, let alone even consider walking around. 

The titan felt the hunters pride as she was stood up, leaning a little heavily on her shoulders with a quiet sigh as her body complained. Out of habit, she looked around warily before carefully hugging Veta tightly and nuzzling her cheek affectionately. It was the most direct way to thank her. Veta blushed feeling a little embarrassed and awkward but she returned the hug, patting her back. “Still far too cuddly” she joked gently, “anyone could guess you liked me” she teased before sighing, “you ok? Nesti?” She asked. 

Anya gave a small smile before considering the question, she felt normal so she nodded looking content, though she had forgotten what she was doing. She carefully pulled away as not to make the hunter uncomfortable, holding onto her shoulder still for support for a moment. Veta was thoughtful before continuing, switching curiously to Russian which she sounded and felt much more comfortable using. She didn’t seem sure that anya would understand her though. “You still understand home words?” Veta asked as she gently started leading the titan towards where the warlock was.

Anya focused on each step, pausing to consider the question, looking to the hunter and leaning in to reply in Russian, her harsh pained whisper making it a lot harder to understand. “Yes”

Veta felt surprised and chuckled, “good, I feared I would lose you” she teased in reply, “I miss our talks, no one can speak like you other than Rasputin and he isn’t fun to talk too” she joked. Anya tilted her head curiously at the name, it felt vaguely familiar but she couldn’t place it, she definitely liked the hunter though, that much she had decided. It felt like a long walk as Veta guided the titan clumsily but she was patient with her old friend. Their chatter had been muted, Anya due to her condition and Veta because she hated being listened too but neither of them were loud enough to break the warlocks concentration.

Marie had spaced out entirely as she set about packing, she had settled in her room on the floor and was surrounded by books and paperwork, her ghost floating by her hands to help by scanning and logging anything that needed it. They collectively had not noticed the hunters silent steps and anya was silent as she focused on walking. Veta helped Anya back to her knees once she was close to her carer, guiding the titan’s hand in the right direction so that she could find Marie. The warlock flinched at the hand on her shoulder, gasping with surprise as a book landed haphazardly on the floor in front of her. The reaction in turn made Anya flinch, pulling back at the sudden spike of fear. 

Marie turned with embarrassed shock to see the two guardian, blushing with a stutter. “oh, right, not alone” she mumbled to herself before clearing her throat and looking to the frightened titan “anya my sweet, I’m sorry” she rushed, taking the titan’s hands apologetically “so sorry my sweet, are you ok?” She asked soothingly. Despite the brief scare, being able to hold the warlocks hands was comforting, her light was warm and familiar now so she quite happily pulled the warlocks hand to her cheeks with a nod.

While Anya was fine, Veta however seemed not as fine, almost looking irritated as she spoke up with a stern annoyance. “she was freaking out because she couldn’t find anyone” the hunter muttered moodily, “you are lucky I let myself in, your security is still awful”.

Marie was taken aback by the words, not expecting the lecture of the hunters shady suggestion. “Excuse me?” She replied looking flustered, “I’m sorry, I spaced out” Marie admitted with a little guilt before looking wary, “why are you here anyway?” She added, “I haven’t seen a shadow of you since you broke into my house last time”.

Veta straightened up, crossing her arms with awkward annoyance. “for one, if you paid attention, you would have heard the knock” she replied, flicking the warlock a moody glance before looking away and clearing her throat. “I tried to be polite” she muttered, “last time I was-“. Veta paused, looking as if she didn’t want to say the next words. “I acted without thought. I thought it polite to apologise” she muttered, looking slightly embarrassed. “Anya would have told me off once, so you can thank her” she added looking deeply uncomfortable at the prospect of admitting she did anything wrong. 

Marie could only stare with mixed feeling for a moment, she’d never seen someone apologise so painfully before and she certainly wasn’t expecting an apology from the shady hunter at all. Even now the hunter wore darker colours with the hood draped over her head, half hiding her face. She had an edge of danger and mistrust that made one question if she was speaking the truth or if it was some sort of ploy. The only thing that showed she meant her words was how the hunter fidgeted with her hands, avoiding her gaze uncomfortably, you couldn’t fake that sort of awkward. Marie gathered herself up and bit her lip, “ok? Thank you” she replied with uncertainty, “did you, uh, want? Anything” she asked.

Veta cleared her throat, “I just thought I’d, visit, you know. I was wondering how Anya was going and, well, I was in the tower. Two birds with one stone, you know” she replied with a little less embarrassment but still ridiculously uncomfortably.

Marie squinted a little with disbelief, she knew she was awkward around people but this hunter made even the warlock cringe internally, she felt bad almost. “Oh, well, I guess. Visit when you, uh, want too, I guess. Anya seems to like visits” she muttered. 

Veta nodded and was quiet for what felt like a very long minute. “She looks good. For a creepy hive lady I mean.” She spoke, “uh, you did good, I mean. You are doing good. I heard you live with Anya now and I just. Uh”. Veta paused to again clear her throat of awkwardness, biting her lip. “Thank you. For looking after her I mean. It means a lot to see her so, healthy? I guess. I appreciate it” she finished with a deep sigh, swallowing hard. “I should go” she muttered, moving to leave before pausing and a blue card appeared in her hand, she flicked it up into the air, catching it with her fingers before offering it to Marie. “Have it” she demanded as she avoided the warlocks gaze with a blush.

giving elsie a hug “no wonder you look upset, I need to get you a bell or something” she sighed before addressing Anne a

Marie continued staring at the hunter with mixed feelings, the air was thick enough to cut with a knife it it certainly wasn’t pleasant. She looked to the card in the hunters hand with uncertainty. Usually these cards held glimmer, made by ghosts so it was easier to transfer between guardians and vendors alike. The cards could look how you wanted them to look and not necessarily always held glimmer but this one was a light blue marked with a hunters symbol, a snake twisting around the sharp stacked shapes. She finally feeed a hand to accept the card, taking a moment to read its content before looking stunned. It was a lot of glimmer. Marie finally looked back to Veta with a heavy sigh, “You’re not the smoothest are you” She muttered before looking a little grateful, “thank you”.

Veta nodded slightly, swallowing hard. “I’m not a people person” She replied bluntly, “but, uh, I give you my feed” she admitted awkwardly. “I can’t promise Can help, but you can ask” she sighed. Anya felt the cool touch of The hunter’s void on her shoulder and she turned to look in that direction. “I’m glad your doing well, or better at least” Veta continued more gently. “you look alive now, so, that’s, something” she muttered, “I’ll try and visit more, if you want”.

Anya gave a nod and felt for her hand, squeezing it in reply, smiling a little again. Marie couldn’t help but question why Anya seemed so comfortable with the same hunter she was facing, the warlock was anything but comfortable, not entirely trusting her, let alone, the awkwardness was smothering her. “That means she’d like that” Marie explained a little stiffly and Anya agreed with another nod.

Veta nodded and bit her lip, “I’ll have to catch up with the lingo I suppose” she murmured as pulled away, turning once more to leave. “uh, well, I’ll see you around, I guess”. As she got to the door, the hunter paused once more. “If you need anything, illegal or not, for her care. Let me know” Veta added before glancing back, “and try not to forget about her” she added with a slight joke before turning with a lazy backhand wave and leaving as silently as she appeared.

The last of the hunters requests, or offers threw Marie for a loop, again faintly offending her but not for long as she condsidered what Veta had offered. She would get anything that Marie needed? Illegal or not. She somehow found herself believing that fact easier than trying to believe that the hunter just looked more off putting than she actually was. She couldn’t remember if the hunter had mentioned a name either but Marie chose to focus back on Anya with an unsettled sigh. “You have strange friends my sweet” she muttered as she pulled out a cloth to clean up the titan’s fresh tears. 

Anya looked curious at her words, leaning into whisper rough words of Russian that Marie definitely did not understand. “Uh, wrong words” Marie offered gently, “I can’t speak Russian my sweet”. The titan looked confused, as if everyone should have been able to understand it but considered the thought silently. “Anyway” Marie begun with a sigh, “are you ok my sweet?” She asked.

Anya nodded slowly, she was mostly fine now that she knew she wasn’t alone, particularly because she was safe in the warlock’s light. She was still a little twitchy but not so much that anya was going to lose her mind again. Marie pressed a gentle kiss on her head and smiled, “Did you want to know where I was?” She asked gently. Anya nodded again, leaning in to cuddle against Marie affectionately. 

Marie looked to her packing with a tired sigh, she still had a few hours ahead of her. “Well, I truly am sorry, I was just packing belongings in my bedroom, I should have made sure you could find me” marie admitted apologetically, “or maybe I should get you a bell or something so you can call me” she added thoughtfully.

Anya looked thoughtful, sitting quietly for a moment as she enjoyed cuddles but she sat up with a idea it seems as she started feeling around carefully. she found a hard metal supply crate open and by the feel of it it wasn’t completely packed yet with peaked her interest. Marie stopped her gently with a chuckle, “careful, I’m trying to pack neatly” she warned gently.

Anya pulled back as she considered this, bringing a hand to her chest questioningly. Marie looked confused though, “what did you want my sweet?”. The titan looked unsure of how to reply before patting the box curiously. 

Marie watched her with equal confusion before looking thoughtful. “Are you bored?” She asked. Anya replied slowly but nodded vaguely, it wasn’t very convincing, Marie however could work with that. Marie glanced to the room, near her cupboard was a stack of glowing cards like the one Veta had given and they were next to an empty box. It was all of her larger furniture that she’d yet to pack up but at least it was all digitised already. She thought about it before replying, “you know, I think I can find you something to do if you’re careful” she offered. Anya seemed sold so Marie chuckled, “ok, come with me my lovely helper” she added as she gently crawled with the titan to guide her, showing her another metal cargo box, open and empty other than a few haphazardly thrown cards. “You can put some things into this one if you like” marie continued as she directed her other hand to the pile of cards on the floor.

“Hope is digitising the big stuff for me so if you like, you can pack it for me” Marie explained, “all you have to do is pick them up carefully, and put them in here” she suggested, guiding her hands to show her physically what to do. Anya was intrigued with the idea, nodding with determination as she carefully repeated the action. Because of her blindness, it was a bit clumsy as Anya had to find her way around but it would keep her busy. Marie gave her another comforting hug and smiled proudly, “thank you my sweet, knock on the floor of you want my attention ok” she added. 

With a final nod, Marie returned to her own work carefully, not being able to help glancing back to make sure Anya was ok for a bit. She worked slowly as she felt around clumsily to find one of the cards, fumbling it into the box that she guarded almost. She helped for a little while like that until she got tired and irritated as she kept losing track of where she was, losing both the cards and the the box she was trying to fill. Since she could now hear the warlocks muttering, she was much more comfortable despite being left alone with her ghost and anya ended up curiously wandering on her hands and knees. 

Anya recognised the feel of this place, even if the signals were not quite as I disturbed as they were, she followed her vague knowledge to find her way to the warlock’s bed. Helping herself up and on top of it to lay down there comfortably. Iskra had settled in her robes so that Anya stayed calm while she worked, now freeing herself to cuddle more comfortably beside the titan lovingly. Before getting too comfortable though, she started streaming the crucible radio quietly and anya held the ghost close to her chest while she waited and listened. 

Luckily, with the combination of support, Marie was able to finish packing everything, sending her belongings to storage for later. It was damn near midnight though by the time they were finished leaving her apartment completely empty like the day she moved in, The warlock felt almost sad to see her small little apartment go as she had grown rather attached to her study den. When everything was finalised, Marie once more helped guide Anya home. This time felt heavy, there was very little reason for Anya to leave again, which meant she would be stuck in her house for a long time. Marie carried the box of treats that Eva had given them and the ice cream she’d bought but it didn’t seem enough to to apologise for the prison like life anya would have. At least, since it was midnight, no one was around so the brief walk, while a little cool, was safe and relaxing. 

As they made it back to anya’s mansion like apartment, Marie finally felt confident to let Anya go as she locked the door behind them securely, she now officially lived here beside the broken titan. She would have to care for her everyday among her duties of course, be there if she needed help. It felt like a lot but as she freed the clumsy titan of her helmet, she couldn’t help but soften. Anya was clearly exhausted from her day, but she was happy. It was enough to make the day worth it and Marie considered her new life. She didn’t see it as a chore truthfully, she liked the titan as a person, she was just sick. There was a pride, a joy even when the titan was happy or simply just content. To see her in pain, scared or worried, it hurt. 

It was the first time she had thought about it all properly and Marie couldn’t find a thought in her body that regretted her actions, so she smiled, moving to help get Anya for bed. Marie was excited, the future would be brighter if she had something to say about it and she was determined. Since it was so late, the warlock only worried about feeding Anya, promising to shower her in the morning when they both weren’t so tired. 

As the days passed, Marie properly begun to move herself in. She had cleaned the house from top to bottom by now so she didn’t have to worry about dust or anything. It was the first chore she set about doing so Marie could get straight into unpacking. Despite bringing up how much easier it would be for Anya if she lived on bottom floor, anya and her ghost collectively seemed to want to stay in her room which was fair. Anya adamantly believed that she was capable of climbing the stairs so that’s who it stayed. it worked in a way, the bottom floor of the house became Marie’s area which allowed her space and flexibility with what she wanted to do, within reason of course. 

Despite not being able to talk much, anya did enjoy listening the warlocks random chatter and mutterings as she worked so even The titan wasn’t a problem as Marie settled into unpacking. Anya simply got comfortable on the spare bed/Marie’s bed, simply listening to her shuffle around and set up her bedroom. The chance of sleeping in her bedroom was slim since Anya didn’t like to sleep alone but she still wanted her bedroom set up anyway. It took a little for Marie to get used to actually living at Anya’s place properly, she wasn’t used to the spacious luxury it offered among other things. Anya wasn’t even the worst part, that honour was given to the fact she had to convince Ikora that she could work from home and while she managed it, it wasn’t fun. Anya only grew closer to warlock over time, adoring the carer who took her on with open arms.


	9. A Warlock at Work

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With everything in place, a warlock does what she does best, study.

It didn’t take long for Marie to get completely comfortable with her new life. It was a reclusive life, taken up by caring for her patient and doing whatever work or study the vanguard required of her that day. She went out shopping once a week, occasionally bringing the titan with when she was ‘well’ enough. Eva would visit sometimes, always sending the warlock home with a box of cookies and treats or dropping them off directly to anya’s home herself. The titan herself seemed entirely unaffected but the warlocks presence, loving it despite the occasionally painful experiments that Marie sometimes had to do. While Anya started by becoming a little clingy, she had well and truly attached herself to the warlocks side as time passed on, often shadowing Marie wherever she went unless the titan felt particularly tender. 

It was both inconvenient and good in a way. as Marie would move around the house, Anya would follow and with the careful climbing of the stairs among the extra effort it took to find her way around the home due to blindness, Anya had made enormous progress in her physical strength and ability. It seemed a small thing but Marie was proud when the titan could play ‘hide and seek’. It was childish but the game forced Anya to focus long enough to both find Marie and do so without any physical help. Once upon a time, she would barely have been able to climb down the stairs without help, let alone be able to be left alone without her mental instability causing her to have a meltdown. Marie felt like more of a mother raising a child sometimes but she didn’t mind as she adored seeing anya’s slow but determined progress. 

Once she was comfortable with her new setup, Marie begun to let out the mad scientist inside her, moving to actively research ways to begin helping the titan potentially recover from some of her more problematic traits. Her study picked up from where she left it before moving, starting with the cracked and bleeding wounds that wouldn’t heal. Unfortunately, not all of her study was pleasant, Marie felt awful when she had to take samples of the titan’s various problems. to see what exactly was going on, it meant she had to cut small affected portions of her wounds off so she could study the flesh and skin activity. Blood samples to see if it was possible to reverse the affects and of course extensive testing to see if she could pinpoint the parts of her mind that was broken. She was looking for what exact traits she had that were born from her condition and if there was any chance she could help. 

The most ‘pressing’ matter was anya’s ever bleeding wounds which was oddly facinating by itself. Pressing was a bit of a stretch as no matter how much Anya did bleed, she never seemed to show signs of blood loss. The worst experiment she had to do on this front was an extensive study of her blood activity. While she was already wounded in several places, it didn’t seem to be enough to show what the blood loss affected so it was with heavy guilt and pain that she made controlled cuts to increase the bleeding in slow doses. It meant that there were days that anya would live in her bath but despite getting a little sleepy, even the extra blood loss didn’t seem to affect her greatly and she always bounced back quickly unlike the more delicate human condition. 

Marie had noticed that her blood would thicken on reaching the surface but it took study to realise it was more than just an odd one off. It didn’t matter where she bled but the flow would slow after less than a minute, becoming thick and sludgy in a similar response to a human wound. Where a natural human would slow and scab over, anya’s blood seemed to take over that role itself, blocking itself essentially to preserve her own resources. It was the most fascinating thing that Marie had ever seen despite the gore as it offered the possibility that anya’s adopted hive biology was designed to keep her alive even more aggressively that any human biology. 

As the warlock continued to compare Anya to natural human biology, she furthered her research into potentially cleaning her bloodline although she didn’t get far at all on this line of study. After a minute or so of being separated from its host, her blood would thicken and separate into a thick sludgy mess that was somehow worse than what would happen to her body. After a day of being separated, it started to separate and dry almost into a somewhat spongey substance, moving into its next ‘form’. After turning into a spongey or jelly like form, the blood would start to ‘grow’ spreading slowly like a mould around the inside of container it was in. If left even longer it would bubble up, forming the familiar gross coral like formations that built hive dens. All up, it was incredibly awful knowledge to know that anya spawned something like that against her choice. 

You could ‘kill’ or ‘sanitise’ the blood in a sense, it didn’t like any form of light so if you introduced light, it would clean the blood. the catch was that there was very little you could do to make it permanent, the blood providing it was fresh would go from black to brown and then a dark red but the moment the light was removed, it would heal, returning to the filthy black sludge to continue its ‘growth’. The only way to properly cleanse the blood was to destroy it with solar light. It only worked because solar ate the darkness aggressively. it only went to show that her blood was completely corrupted as the solar would consume all of the blood leaving nothing behind. Arc and void could be used in the same manner but with different affects. Arc was fascinating in a way as like the lightning it was based on, it branched its way through the substance leaving scar like patterns among the sludge. if you introducing enough arc, the blood would pop and fizzle, boiling it almost, leaving a puffy static chunky powder. Arc seemed to destroy or at least stop whatever made the blood a ‘living’ thing but it could be ‘revived’ by introducing liquid. 

Void had the strangest affect on the blood as due to the nature of the light, if unguided, the void that was already walking the edge of dark fell to the dark, being eaten by the blood. If controlled, it just seemed to suppress the blood which wasn’t that much of a surprise but it took a larger amount of void to properly absorb and overpower the darkness. Void appeared to just be awfully ineffective as a whole. Plain white light that wasn’t directed to any burn seemed to almost scare off the bloods affects which was strange. As an experiment, Marie set up a tank with a ball of white light, letting the blood ‘grow’ but it didn’t seem to dare grow around a certain radius of the ball. It wasn’t an aggressive light unless dropped directly in the sludge in which case, it depended on what there was more of, light or dark, the biggest amount of energy won.

If anything, it explained why the hive didn’t like the light, often using void and siphoning other burns to reuse them, not necessarily creating them. Obviously it wasn’t a blanket rule, there were rumours of knights using solar, solar shields on wizards of course and more but it explained why it was rarer to find elemental enemies among the hive rather than using hive magic. The study unfortunately didn’t offer any good news though as all her study led to the fact it would be impossible to cleanse Anya completely. In a further study where Marie reluctantly cut into one of her deeper wounds, the work discovered that even her bones were deeply tainted and they were now incapable of creating normal blood anymore. 

With one defeat on the bloodwork, Marie then moved on to try and figure out if there was a way to promote more healing in the titan. She begun by inspecting the wounds for hidden causes of infection, maybe there were shards of hive gunk, chitin, anything that might be in the way. Despite cleaning the wounds deeply, she encountered a new problem, or quirk that she had noticed before but now she ventured deeper into the topic. Marie found that the edges of her wounds had become hard and shell like, the affect didn’t go too deep but it resembled the chitin that the hive were known for. The scaring all over her body actually seemed to be formed of this tough chitin like skin and the stress fractures that she had discovered earlier in her studies were found in these chitin like patches all around her body. They had snapped almost as the solid surface stretched beyond the point that the chitin like affect could deal with. 

With dead end on the bloodwork and the knowledge of her physical traits, Marie considered the problem for a bit before settling on her first plan. The mental stuff that anya had was likely going to be somewhat unpredictable until the warlock could figure out a plan on looking after her body properly so the body was what she would focus on. It was then that she called on the think tank resources. The think tank was a loving term given to the large complex of specially equipped laboratories that the tower warlocks up kept. It was the home of most great discoveries made in the city and every tower had one. It was there that Marie would finalise her studies until she could bring home the equipment she needed. The more in-depth tests on anya’s bloodwork, skin and flesh study was actually finished in the think tank and gave hope for the beginning of a cure. 

In the quest of her personal study, Marie finally made a breakthrough after a good month of solid research. It took time because she was trying to be as subtle as possible while getting as much done as she could but she finally landed on a lead. Using the known affect of introducing light to anya’s blood, she decided to try to see if the same affect would work on flesh. To test it, Marie had to cut a sample of the affected flesh from Anya which was unpleasant and painful but it turned out surprisingly successful. In the same way that you could suppress the bloods affect in various ways, you could do the same with flesh if you introduced enough light. Too much light was bad though as it would start to eat away at the sample instead, causing more damage with the potential of even causing Anya to bleed out. Even temporarily healing the samples caused the blood created to flow in a more human like manner, introducing a chance of actually bleeding out.

Marie of course didn’t want to just start the testing on Anya straight away so she found other subjects to test on, stealing away mice and other small creatures to experiment on instead. One thing she discovered quickly was that it was extremely easy to replicate the affects the sickness in every subject. Either injecting or feeding the creatures infected material caused them to succumb to the same sickness within days, finishing the transformation within a week or two depending on the size. It was a horrifyingly short time which shone some light on just how quickly Anya had likely succumbed to the darkness herself without her ghost to purge her. She was able to replicate all the blood tests and skin tests on each animal, not to mention their physical forms showed similar damage to Anya. The white mice turned a sickly grey cream as they became weak and unwell, the coloured ones looking just as sickly in their own colours. The birds lost feathers as they went down hill but every subject ended the same which ominously mirrored how Marie had found Anya.

When the desease won, the creatures crawled around painfully before seemingly finding somewhere comfy if they had the strength, if they didn’t, they collapsed when they couldn’t find the will to move anymore and appeared dead. They weren’t of course, Marie could still sense a heartbeat but as they laid in their graves, they no longer moved and over a week, a disturbing affect was witnessed. The extra discharge of blood pooled where they lay, growing into the same coral like sludge, quickly overcoming the creature by growing around it and spreading. It shone a light on how they had found Anya, laying in a corner and semi-buried in filth. Marie had initially thought that perhaps she had found the corner and collapsed there on top of the mess, perhaps not realising or even having her desperation drive her but it now became clear that she was the cause of the filth she was buried it. It had grown from her own tainted body, keeping her trapped where she was, not dead nor alive. It was disturbing to be able to say for certain what her final days likely looked like. 

The positives of these dark truths meant that Marie could safely expect Anya to react in a similar manner when the warlock would start introducing early cures to the unfortunate subjects. She was able to determine that in every case of an attempt to cleanse the being of darkness completely caused the creature to die, ending all dark affects completely. The dark itself seemed to be the very thing keeping every creature alive so a cure was deemed impossible. Instead, she turned her focus on just figuring out a way to allow for healing. It was morbid work but she would wound the subjects she had left and as expected, the wounds didn’t heal. Marie created a list of things she thought might work, starting with stitching the wounds together to promote healing. It seemed to kinda work but not in all cases, Adding light after stitching however seemed to allow for healing. 

Finding the balance of light needed to allow the subjects to heal took time, resulting in many failures but by the time she had finished, Marie had a gold mine of information that she could now turn on anya. One of the most affective methods of healing was what she called the bath method. Normally such a method would likely have infected a wound but a rat sitting in light infused water would heal all of their wounds in a natural time frame as well as become more active and ‘healthy’. On leaving the bath though, all the positive affects would stop so that was the problem Marie faced. There were other ways she found to work briefly, creams that could absorb light and focus it where you needed, even just the warlock focusing the right amount of light seemed to have the same affect but it was all dependant on the light being there in the first place. 

Marie hadn’t gotten far, but she had at least got somewhere and she now further understood the titan’s condition. She was likely more of an expert on hive biology now than a lot of warlocks but she wasn’t finished. This research was all on the outside body and she hadn’t yet ventured deeper, prompting her to wonder what all this meant for anya’s insides. 

She didn’t enjoy the next part as she cut into the test subjects one by one to see the affect on their organs and inner body. She now expected the black blood and everything that came with but she wasn’t expecting some of the other little things she found. The stomach in particular showed the same chitinous affect on the insides, following all the way through their body. The only places the affect seemed to leave alone was the important organs like the heart, brain and most of the lungs but nowhere was safe. It was fair to say that Marie now could guess why Anya didn’t feel so well sometimes, not to mention what may cause the pain that she often had. 

On completing the studies to a level of satisfaction the warlock was happy with, Marie only then considered turning her gaze to Anya. While she’d hated working on test animals, she could at least say that she had the luxury of freeing them of pain after she was finished the cruelty. With Anya, she didn’t have that luxury and she hated the mere thought of potentially hurting the titan more that she helped. Since the titan was a much bigger subject, it offered more problems in sizing up experiments to begin with. Marie knew for the most part what kind of plan’s she needed, anya however offered more difficulty. Since the test subjects had been so small, she wasn’t quite able to see a unique trait that the titan showed, while her wound’s stayed in place of course, her physical condition did seem to be somewhat active. The chitinous condition seemed to move from day to day. She could wake up one day with more pain than she would have the day before or even less despite nothing observable changing, Her body itself seemed almost unstable. Marie could only assume that perhaps it was the effect of being at the tower perhaps, there was naturally more light around so maybe it was allowing the body to attempt to heal itself, failing of course.

With her intense study in mind, marie begun to work directly with anya, reluctantly calling on the mysterious hunters help with both guidance and retrieval of materials for her work. On the question, Veta suggested materials to hold light somewhat happily and without complaint. while it felt somewhat backwards, the hive were extraordinarily good at holding onto energy with various kinds of crystals and other materials. The other suggestion was not necessarily possible, even for the shady hunter as she’d heard that sunbreaker’s could forge particular kinds of materials that did improve their solar wielding abilities, thus potentially they had something that could hold light but They didn’t know any titan’s that could help on that front. Since they decided somewhat hesitantly on settling with hive materials, Veta went quiet on a mission to retrieve exactly what marie wanted. She was gifted with the ability to shake off the vanguard and even got away with smuggling the highly illegal study materials into the tower. The warlock had questioned if she could even complete the request at all but she was proven wrong as the very same hunter let herself into the apartment.

Marie had settled in the living room, sitting on the floor with anya. Her studies were forced to stop mostly since they were waiting on materials so instead, the warlock was focusing on trying to figure out the titan’s mental situation, she’d already found out that sometimes anya didn’t actually register some pain, touch or hearing sensations, this fact had slipped under the radar because it was such a small detail but it fell into the same basket as some clumsiness she had. It all seemed to be linked more to her body not always working as intended, as if her mind just forgot that her nerves and other things existed briefly. She’d go to move and sometimes her thoughts were quicker than her body, she’d stumble as her foot wasn’t in the right place. Maybe she’d find it harder than usual to pick up and hold objects.

Today marie was playing with anya to work on a theory, if repeated physical practice would help the titan or just exhaust her unnecessarily, not to mention it would be nice to see if it would help with her memory. It was a simple game, marie would ask anya to find her hands as quickly as possible in a set pattern and record the results after a certain amount of time. Her theory was that if the number of times anya could find her hands improved as well as other things, then the practice may just have been helping. This was where the shady hunter found them as she let herself in, the sudden appearance made marie jump warily before giving a tired sigh, the hunter tended to help herself to what she wanted, whether that be letting herself inside despite locked doors. 

With the distraction, anya caught her hands before looking expectantly to marie, waiting for her to continue the game, she found a surprising amount of fun in it. The warlock looked back to the titan proudly, deciding to deal with her before continuing with the hunter. “well done my sweet, I think that’s enough for now” she soothed, “in fact, we have a visitor”.

anya looked confused, it was early into the game but at the mention of a visitor, she looked around with interest despite not being able to see, bringing a hand to her lips questioningly. marie smiled with a chuckle, “no, it’s not eva with cookies, I swear if I didn’t hide them, that’s all you would eat” she teased.

The hunter slipped her hood back to pull off her helmet. A digital target hovered over the vision component indicating that she wore a somewhat worn Knucklehead radar helmet but it flickered off as she clipped it to her belt. As per usual, the awoken hunter who looked remarkably like anya herself stood in the entrance moodily, only healthy of course in comparison. She didn’t hesitate to walk over, her steps as silent and ominous as ever and she put a hand on the titan’s head lightly. “hallo nesti, just me” she warned lightly before shifting to sit on the lounge beside anya lazily.

while anya flinched, she looked cheerful at the greeting, following Boa curiously and the hunter allowed the titan to hold her hand, marie however resisted letting her irritation show. “I would appreciate it if you knocked” she greeted stiffly.

Boa gave the warlock a lazy side glance before shrugging, “did, you didn’t answer so I let myself in”. the hunter leaned back with a sigh and crossed her legs comfortably. “I thought you would like your new toys but I can come back later if you wish” she added.

Marie bit her lip, she didn’t necessarily like the hunter that much. Her attitude was awful and she wondered why anya had ever come to be friends with her, boa was good at what she did though. “it’s fine” she muttered with a defeated sigh, “just be careful please”. Marie looked to the hunter with uncertainty, “so how did you go?” she asked carefully.

Boa looked thoughtfully blank, staring ahead emotionlessly for a moment as she allowed anya to hold her hand. “easy” she replied bluntly before looking back to marie, “was more entertaining than I’ve done for while” she admitted.

marie looked wary at the words considering she was bringing highly illegal material into the tower without permission and raised an eyebrow questioningly. “you, uh, enjoy?” she asked, “what part?”.

Boa nodded, “don’t like rules, don’t really like tower either. Too many people, too much talk and not enough quality” she replied, “as for the hive, I never mind giving the hive hell” she shrugged.

Marie shivered, the hunters confidence freaked her out a little bit. The hive frightened the warlock herself so she couldn’t imagine going and hunting the hive dens for materials herself, let alone by herself like the hunter had done. “Who are you?” Marie finally asked, “I mean, I just don’t understand you, nor why Anya likes you” she admitted bluntly before blushing awkwardly. “I don’t mean it rudely, I just, don’t know how to feel about you” Marie added.

The hunters blank boredom turned into a coy cheeky half smile as Veta glanced to Marie. “I’m no one special, I like it kept that way” she admitted before looking to Anya. “Anya was always white knight, we didn’t meet with chocolates and roses” she continued thoughtfully, “to put it simply, I was lucky to walk away alive. We worked together after that because she felt she had some higher purpose which was straightening me out” she shrugged. After a moment of reflective silence, Veta almost looked solemn.

Marie looked confused at the vague story but she sensed she wasn’t getting anymore of it. “Did it work?” She asked carefully.

Boa shrugged and looked back to Marie, “who knows, but I’ve never pretended to be anything but me, I don’t care if you don’t like me” she admitted bluntly. “A lot of people don’t like me, they don’t like that I won’t just kiss their feet and such. I don’t care about what people think, not now, not ever” Veta added, “so feel free to not like me” she shrugged. 

The warlock had mixed emotions, while she hadn’t said out loud what she thought specifically, Marie felt called out anyway and looked awkward. In one way, it answered a few questions about her personality, Kinda, but not many. She was saved from her thoughts as a ghost appeared at the hunters shoulders, the ghost was just like any other of course but it was the shell that threw her off. Veta had a certain mood and look, her armour was a little more worn, designed for living more in the wilds, it made her hard to approach in a sense, but this ghost was almost opposite in a way, kinda. The ghost wore a more triangular shaped shell with two kitty ears taped to the top and the eye was a gold cat eye design, it even had whiskers set into the shell as well. Marie looked somewhat surprised at the cute little ghost in comparison to the shady hunter she belonged too. 

The ghost glanced at Veta before floating around anya and approaching the warlock, “where do you want your stuff” she asked bluntly, mirroring the hunters mood somewhat shockingly despite the shell. 

Marie blinked in surprise and pointed to the other lounge away from Anya, replying with a stutter. “Over there, thank you” she murmured. The ghost simply nodded and didn’t waste time, setting up a transmat pad on the lounge before a rather large metal crate appeared, resting on the pad somewhat heavily. The ghost didn’t bother saying anything else before returning to her guardian and fading back into light as she returned to her guardians armour.

Veta eyed the crate thoughtfully before looking at the warlock. “So what’s your plan?” She asked. 

Marie wasn’t expecting such a large crate of materials and she assumed that the chest wouldn’t actually be full. Since Anya was content cuddling the hunters hand and listening, the warlock left her where she was to investigate. “Oh-uh, well, I will see what can be done with-“ Marie paused as the air locks hissed and the crate opened revealing a space packed full of both cracked and uncracked hive crystal. Some clearly had a bit of charge left but others did not, the amount here would last the warlock for months if not a year if she didn’t waste the resources. “There’s so much” she whispered with shock, “how?”.

Veta simply shrugged in response looking amused. “It’s easy if you know the right people and places, but that’s my secret”. 

Marie picked up a smaller shard from the crate carefully and just holding the crusty shard made it start to glow faintly around where her hands touched, it took barely any effort to put more light into the shard to charge it and as she set it back into the chest it seemed to stay charged for the moment. “I-uh, thank you” she finally continued, looking back to the hunter. “I don’t specifically know, uh, what I was expecting” she admitted honestly, “but this is more than I could- thank you” she finished awkwardly.

Veta nodded, “you’re welcome, let me know if you make any progress and need more” she replied casually, “need anything else?” She asked.

The warlock looked to the crystals and the shard now was fading again, it apparently didn’t hold charge forever, that was ok though as she shook her head. “I have to uh, experiment with this first. Once I figure out how best to use these, I’ll move on to the next step” Marie explained with uncertainty, she now had so much that she could do, she could barely wait to start. 

Boa couldn’t help but look amused again towards the warlock. “Hmm, well thinking isn’t my thing really, so good luck I suppose. If that’s all, then I’ll leave you too it” she shrugged before turning her attention to the titan with a sigh. “It’s a shame you can’t play cards anymore” she muttered, “It was always fun kicking your ass nesti”. 

Anya looked up to her blindly before pulling away but not for very long as she shifted onto the lounge to pull the hunter into a hug. Veta immediately blushed looking uncomfortable but didn’t fight the titan, allowing herself to be cuddled despite her intentions to leave. She looked small even with anya’s thin and somewhat lanky form, the hunter looked childish as the titan claimed her. “Ught, must you?” Veta muttered with defeat, clearly not having the heart to stop her, “I told you I don’t swing that way” she joked awkwardly with a sigh.

Marie looked up and resisted a smile, it was a little cute to see. “I suppose Anya isn’t finished with you yet” she admitted before looking unsure, “did Anya ever, uh, hit on you?” She questioned with a curious blush.

Veta cleared her throat a little awkwardly as she looked back to the warlock, “every time she’d get drunk” she sighed, “was like clockwork, damn woman loved me I swear, I thought males were bad” she muttered. “She was always cuddly though, used to have to cut her off me sometimes” Veta complained. ”One can only hope she has calmed down” she finished.

Marie blushed awkwardly at the words considering just how far she had gone to look after Anya now. “Oh, I don’t know” she replied looking flustered, She as usual was terrible at keeping secrets.

The hunter seemed to see through her though as she squinted suspiciously, “I assume not then, she doesn’t force herself on you does she?” She asked bluntly, a shadow of concern in her voice as she shot a suspicious glance to Anya briefly.

Marie blushed deeper looking embarrassed at the question, “oh, n-no, nothing lik-of course not” she rushed. 

Veta stared her down with no remorse before sighing, “I frankly don’t care what you get up too, but I will hurt you if you hurt Anya” she warned lightly, perhaps not wanting to upset Anya. The heavy protective intention was there in her eyes though and Marie shivered.

The warlock swallowed hard looking awkward, “uh, look, I uh.” She stuttered awkwardly. “I, look after her, occasionally, but only if, necessary” she admitted looking between ashamed and guilty. “There’s days that she’s, worse, than others” she added, trailing off.

There was a flicker of disgust as the hunter stared at her and Marie could barely breathe but Veta finally looked up to Anya in almost knowing defeat. It was as if she knew she could trust the warlocks words just because she knew who the titan was once. “Keep it that way I suppose” she finally muttered, looking back to Marie, “you’re stronger than me”. 

Marie looked unsure and guilty, “you aren’t mad?” She questioned weakly. 

Veta rolled her eyes to the side moodily, “no, Anya was always open to company, I’m not surprised” she admitted, “it’s the, mess, that I’m surprised about” she added as she returned her gaze to Marie. 

Marie swallowed hard blushing worse, “I-you know. She needs help bathing, and so you get used to the mess” she admitted, “and then there’s days where she’s very, sensitive. I- I feel bad leaving someone like that” she muttered. “It’s a shower affair because of the mess” she spoke, trailing off.

It almost appeared like the hunter didn’t want to know but her curiosity seemed to beat it out. “Reasonable I suppose” Veta agreed, “you seem to like her” she observed.

Marie looked flustered, “well of course I do, I mean. Not like that” she rushed, “but as a person, she is sweet. A little broken and childish but it’s wonderful to see her get better. It’s a miracle, quite facinating” she admitted, looking over the titan with pride before blushing a little. “She is a monster of course, but I enjoy looking after her” Marie sighed, “uh, it kind of reminds me of golden age story called beauty and the beast” she admitted.

Veta considered the words and gazed up to Anya who seemed content just to continue cuddling her despite the mood changes, “never heard of it, but I suppose I am glad that she has a friend, I never was a good one” she added before sighing, “just don’t get bored of her once your finished studying”. It was then that she brought a hand up nudge the titan’s cheek, “do you intend to let me go nesti?” She asked.

Anya looked thoughtful at the question, loosening her hold with a disappointed sigh but she reluctantly let go after a moment, stubbornly staying beside her though. Marie looked almost offended at even the possibility of just getting bored but chose not to let her offended get to her, instead focusing on the name that Veta used. “Uh, Romance story, beautiful woman falls in love with cursed prince living in castle alone. I haven’t found a full translation but it is sweet story” she explained briefly before looking curious, “What does that mean? Uh, neasti?” She asked. 

Veta look relieved to be free before looking back to the warlock as she shifted to stretch. “Hmm, a look into future perhaps” she asked before sighing, “Nesti? Means bear in Russian, say like nee-sti” she shrugged.

Marie blushed deeply, “oh, uh. I don’t, I’m not even sure she is capable” she rushed awkwardly before nodded with surprise, “oh, bear? why the nickname, that’s sweet” she admitted with amusement, trying to change the subject. 

Veta rolled her eyes before raising her eyebrow at the warlock, the woman’s body language seemed to to argue against her own argument. “Of course she is, I don’t need to be warlock to see that” she scoffed before looking bored, “if you are scared of me, I don’t care who you fuck. If Anya gets hurt unnecessarily, that’s when I care” she warned before blushing slightly looking moody. “I call her nesti because she used to act like bear. Even the dancing part” she joked to herself before looking back to the warlock, “fights, uh, fought with fists, didn’t like weapons so much and gave into fun of fight. Used self recklessly unless she was on duty” she explained. 

Marie looked to the floor with embarrassment, it was sweet that the hunter did care so much but she questioned if she could. She was grateful for the change of topic as she explained anya though. “You worked with her a lot?” She asked gently.

Veta nodded and crossed her arms, “yes, was convenient. I could point her in direction and she would attack or distract for me” she shrugged. “Enjoyed playing cards and drinking with her, didn’t take much seriously unless she had too but her light was bright” she admitted with nostalgia, “damn woman pissed me off, I miss her and her stupid” she sighed before standing up and patting anya’s head. “I am going nesti, will see soon” she promised lightly. Anya looked disappointed, even upset but caught her hand to hold it to her cheek affectionately. 

Marie bit her lip with guilt, despite the hunters uncomfortable nature, she clearly did care about the titan. “Uh, well, maybe the better she gets, she might be more herself” she offered hopefully. 

Veta nodded and finally freed her hand, turning to head to the door, “hmm, possibly, have fun botan” she shrugged, “message me if need”. Without allowing another word, the hunter had let herself out and was gone just as quickly as she had appeared. Marie was left unsure of what she’d been called, she had a feeling it wasn’t as nice as it sounded though. Anya stared vaguely in the direction of her voice for a moment before looking around seeming a little lost and Marie shook off her feelings to sit beside her, greeting her with a gentle hand. it was due for dinner time anyway and she had a lot to think about now. 

With a fresh start on her study, Marie found great interest in playing with somewhat of an illegal material. Any hive tools were considered dangerous unless studied in a controlled situation, some materials were in fact dangerous as certain things tended to temp weaker guardians, whispering ominous promises and others were just highly volatile. The crystals Marie worked with were known to work as batteries for the most part, used to lock guardians out of things or to power certain devices. For Marie, she hoped that she could use the crystals to help hold light for a number of experimental projects. Of course, she couldn’t use the crystals as they were, so she crushed them into a rough power to see if they still retained their battery like ability. she was fortunate to find that they did in fact still work and it was facinating to let the flakes fall through her hands like sand. They would shimmer like glitter as they collected a brief amount of light before returning to plain sand.

The first thing she tried was powdering the sand further and adding it to water, it didn’t dissolve the easiest but after trying different grinds of powder, she found a form that would dissolve enough in warm water. Like electricity in water, any light introduced to this mixture made the liquid glow and she was able to make a number of strengths to do testing with. She took the crystal powder to try her hand at cosmetics next, focusing on taking some traditional body care items and adding different amounts to see if she could make healing creams, again with different dosages to try. She settled on these two ideas to begin with because they were simple but hopefully practical. 

Once Marie had gone over all her notes extensively to be sure she hadn’t over looked any details, she finally felt comfortable enough to trial her products on Anya. Despite deciding it was time in her mind, the warlock still felt anxious as she set up in the bathroom so that if anything went wrong, Marie could instantly clean the experiments off. Anya like usual was patient despite mirroring the warlocks anxiety, she sat beside the bath and leaned on it with an arm on a makeshift bath table. 

Marie finally sat down beside her to begin her work, bringing a hand to anya’s cheek with concern. “Tell me if it hurts ok, I’ll make it stop as soon as you say so” she promised weakly. Anya leaned into her hand with a nod, finding the warlock to stare vaguely as if watching what she was doing. With a little smile, the warlock took a breath and rolled up the titan’s sleeve, revealing her sickly grey arm. She didn’t have the muscle she should have had but the skin was blank other than some scaring, her hand in particular had a number of cuts and marks. It appeared that she may have been wounded before her fall though as some marks looked old, her hands showed signs of burns that were hard to see among the new damage. 

The warlock had learned of an allergy test and she decided that this was the form of testing she would try on Anya. She had five strengths of home mixed cosmetics and she used a small wooden stick to paint a line on the inside of anya’s arm. She started with the weakest of course, moving up to the strongest at her wrist and after a minute of waiting, Marie could see her first observations. The creams did start absorbing the darkness in her skin and the cream went from a light grey to dark grey in various shades. As expected, no.5 was the darkest as it could hold more in the most efficient time. She noticed some movement in her arm too as the darkened light seemed to be pulled toward the cream. It was facinating of course but after another minute or so she moved onto the next test. 

Anya had not reacted at all to the cream, vaguely seeming interested but even that was a stretch as she was more focused on Marie herself. On cleaning the cream off as part of the next experiment, the warlock was again fascinated to see that bruise like marks had appeared underneath the creams. They were like shadows, all of the darkness matching the strength or weakness of the tested creams but the pooled up light was quick to fade back into her natural body movement. On scanning, her arm was fine, no blood clots or anything dangerous of the sort or any indication that there was danger so Marie was pleased. 

After noting the dark experiments, now came the light experiments and Marie once more applied a line of each strength to her arm however this time she took a breath before pressing two fingers into each line and she focused her light gently. The weakest line made Anya shift her gaze with confusion and in response, the cream became warm with solar light, it must have been gentle enough though because the titan wasn’t bothered. This pattern continued as Marie moved down her arm and she begun to look uncomfortable at line four before flinching as if she’d been burned at line five. Marie was quick to pull back, and cleaned off both failures. They were both barely on her skin but the warlock was stunned to see even that short amount of time had in fact lightened her skin a few fractions. 

With this in mind, after ensuring Anya was ok, she continued to feed the remaining experiments light for a minute to see if over time they might affect the titan. if anything, she was mildly relaxed so nothing to worry about on that front. The real test was what two minutes of exposure would do so as she waited out the time, she studied Anya with careful concern before wiping off the experimental cream. Marie found the same light marks where apparently the darkness had been dispersed, again in order from weakest to mid strength where her skin had become a light grey. Once again, it didn’t take long for the lighter patches to fade into the dark once more but it proved a theory at least. 

Marie paused here to check on Anya, gently stroking her hair affectionately. “How was that?” She soothed with a smile. Anya seemed thoughtful before half shrugging and bringing a hand up to feel her arm. “What do you feel?” Marie asked, leaning in a little, “can you tell me?”. 

The titan tilted her head consideringly before sighing, “pins and needles” she whispered vaguely, “I think”. 

The warlock wrote it down looking mildly concerned but Anya seemed to stop playing with her arm once the marks were gone so she suspected that it was just the sensation of her body balancing out again. “Good girl, now I just have one more set of tests” she soothed, “you ok with that?” She asked gently. Anya nodded vaguely, offering her hand innocently and Marie took it gently, pressing a kiss on the back of her palm. “You are so good” she complimented as she moved on to what she’d named the bath test. 

This next test was five bowls of water much like the creams but Marie would guide her fingers to the bowls and see what happened. The dark test resembled the first of the experiments. The water would absorb the darkness in amounts that matched the strength of the mixture. Anya again didn’t seem bothered by the darkness that leeched from her hands, she evidently had enough to go around. there was an extra step though as once finished, instead of tipping the water out, Marie tried cleaning the water with light. While she didn’t expect all that much, she was surprised that she could indeed ‘cleanse’ the water and it went from cloudy grey to clear with enough light. 

She tested the mixtures to make sure they were still pure enough to test with and since they were, she decided to reuse those mixes for the next test since she didn’t want to waste her resources. This time as she guided the titan’s hand, she focused light into the mix, making the water glow a warm orange and Anya once more seemed interested, this time actually playing around in the water a little bit when she moved her fingers. In much the same as the last test, the mid strength seemed to be the point of comfortable as while no.4 didn’t hurt, she seemed hesitant to leave her fingers in the water for too long. Number five was the same and after barely a few second she tried to free her hands, withdrawing her fingers into protective fists close to her. 

“You really don’t like that” Marie murmured to herself, taking notes before gently helping dry her hands. “Here my sweet, is that better?” She asked.

Anya nodded and leaned in with a quiet whimper, “burns”. 

Marie gave her a one armed hug so she could note the word before giving her a proper cuddle, “don’t worry, I won’t make you touch it again, I promise” she soothed. After calming the titan a little, Marie got rid of four and five completely, four would be ok for emergencies but only emergencies. five just damaged her it seemed which seemed to strengthen another thought she’d had. Too much light seemed to hurt Anya and she wondered if being directly underneath the traveller was too much, She left the thought for later though.

There was just one more thing that Marie really wanted to test and she chose to do so with mid-strength solution. She had wondered about the possibility of making stitches in her larger wounds, hopefully allowing them to heal but she wasn’t sure if her home made medicine would allow the titan’s skin to become flexible enough to allow for stitches. She decided to see just how much the solution would assist so with some slight reluctance from Anya, Marie helped lower her whole hand into the bowl of solution. At first anya flinched as the little cuts on her hand seemed to sting but once light was introduced, the titan calmed once more, letting Marie hold her hand in the water. It was somewhat intriguing watching her submerged hand change, starting with the familiar sickly grey and lightening up. It took time as Marie could watch the dark move to her hand, trying to compensate but not being able too. It was gentle enough that anya didn’t seem to notice much at all. 

Marie looked away to take notes as anya’s hand took on a more healthy shade of grey and she had already assumed that the titan had always had a shade of skin in the range of grey. She was wrong though despite the many types of grey awoken out there and as she looked back after a few minutes of writing, she held a pale white hand rather than the grey she was used too. Marie was stunned as she carefully observed her hand, for a moment wondering if she’d hurt Anya or left her in the solution too long but the titan was clearly unphased. “Sparks?” Marie asked out loud with shock. 

The ghost appeared instantly at her name and hovered over, “yes Marie? What’s up?” She asked carefully.

The warlock looked to the ghost questioningly, “what colour skin did Anya have?” she asked weakly. 

The question was a strange one and Iskra looked taken aback. “Oh, uh, she looked a little weird for awoken” she admitted, “she had near white skin, kinda grey but you couldn’t really see her light because she was so pale” iskra explained, “why?”.

Marie looked to the titan with surprise, “what? This is what she looked like?” She repeated as she raised the titan’s hand from the solution, gently inspecting her hand. It was mostly human now and the small wounds were bleeding brown. Her pale hand was stark against the warlocks own more pinkish skin. 

The ghost looked down before floating down with awe, “wow, you brought her colour back?!” She enthused, “well, lack of colour....”.

Anya seemed entirely unaware of the shock she was causing and smiled a little at the emotions the warlock had. “It’s not permanent” Marie explained as the pulses of dark already begun to show under her pale skin. “She must have been beautiful” she added with a sigh.

Iskra chuckled lightly, “I thought so and she certainly thought so, But I should get you a picture”.

Marie was finding it hard to concentrate with her mind blown like it was but she forced herself to focus while she had the chance, inspecting the wounds properly while they were somewhat flexible. It was clear that she could probably use this method to attempt to help her wounds heal. “I’d like to see her” she admitted with a sigh, “I didn’t know she was still hiding so much” she added with a chuckle.

Iskra watched the warlock work thoughtfully, “she has more scars than I remember” she hummed, “I know it’s not permanent or anything but do you think there’s anything you could do to maybe help in a more permanent manner?” She asked curiously. 

Marie looked up from inspecting the titan’s palm with guilt, “no, I tried everything but she is too far gone” She admitted. Having finished her study, she dried the titan’s hand and held it in a towel to catch the mess, “at this point, anything I do will be reversed by her body itself. The only thing I think I can try is closing those big wounds but even then, I can only hope that her body allows me too” Marie explained looking defeated. “Physically, she may become stronger, maybe I can strengthen her mind, but she will likely never become much more than this” she finished, “I’m sorry”.

The ghost looked a bit saddened, as much as she was expecting the news, it still hurt. “That’s ok, I still appreciate you trying anyway” she replied gently, “plus, it’s not like she’s gone” she added as she cheered herself up. “She is just extra lovable now” she smiled.

Marie chuckled as she freed the titan’s hand, it had now taken a more grey shade again as it returned to it previous form. “Of course” she agreed gently, starting to tidy up her experiments. “You know, she reminds me of another story, golden age of course. A princess called Snow White, skin as white as snow and hair as black as night. If I recall it ended morbidly too but she was said to be the most beautiful in the land” Marie smiled, “perhaps that should have been her name” she teased lightly. 

Iskra laughed lightly and flew over to nuzzle Anya cheek affectionately, “she was never much of a princess herself, more like a prince if I know anything of the stories” she replied cheerfully, “but I like it” she mused. “A poor princess who needs rescuing by a heroic warlock”. Anya gave the ghost a small smile as she sat patiently, likely not paying attention to the conversation and just happy to be there.

Marie blushed deeply at the words, “oh, uh, no, I’m not doing anything of the sort” she mumbled awkwardly, the words did give her some pride though. As she finished, she looked to the ghost and noticed that she was a bit of a mess, “do you want a bath while we are here?” She offered gently. 

Iskra looked up to her with surprise, she often forgot just how dirty she became because of Anya. Her favourite thing was settling on her chest or beside her neck if Anya didn’t want to hold her but she always greeted Anya by nuzzling her cheek gently. With her tears, she was bound to get messy but she had long since stopped caring and occasionally Marie had to remind her that she needed a bath. “Oh, yes, that’s probably a good idea” she admitted as she floated up so the warlock could catch her.

At first it was strange allowing the warlock to be so up close and personal, it had only ever been Anya who’d ever get so close. Marie of course was gentle as she’d catch and hold the ghost so there was never a fear of getting hurt but it felt very personal because of how the ghost needed to be cleaned. She started with the outer shell which unfortunately tended to be quite awful, gathering the most of anya’s blood in her interactions with her guardian. If left too long, the blood would fester and while the ghost herself naturally adjusted for the weight, she didn’t notice small growths start to sprout on her shell. It was a slower growth that was held off by the natural light the ghost put off but it was harmless as long as Marie made sure to clean the ghost every other day. 

The most personal part was the part where Marie would clean her eye with care, ensuring that she wasn’t hiding any mess under her shell as well that could potentially hurt the ghost. The warlock couldn’t really judge the ghost and her willingness to allow the mess to happen, she clearly cared more about Anya than any of the difficulty her guardian provided. It was awe inspiring to watch honestly as being younger, Marie didn’t have such a close bond with her own ghost. 

Once iskra was clean, Marie looked thoughtful. “Hey sparks” she asked gently, “I had a thought. Too much light is definitely bad for Anya so I am somewhat curious to see how she reacts to the lack of light” she admitted. Iskra looked up to her questioningly as the warlock continued. “I know the market is somewhat scary but I don’t want either of you to be stuck inside for the rest of your life” she begun, “I was considering maybe taking you both out past the wall maybe, just for a day out. it will just be you two, me and the wild” she assured. “I’ll protect you from anything scary of course but if we can manage it, it would be nice to change things up for us” she suggested. 

Iskra looked unsure at the thought, glancing at Anya with mixed feelings. “Going to the market is one thing but how are we going to get through the hangar? There’s so many guardians” she warned weakly.

Marie nodded in agreement, biting her lip, “You have a point. We will have to wear armour so hopefully she will be well enough but perhaps I can create something to buff her shielding further. If we can make it seem like she is just another guardian, it should be easy” she assured but she had a bit of doubt about it. “Once we are out and somewhere safe. Then Anya can take her helmet off, enjoy the breeze a bit” she offered. 

Iskra considered the thought before floating over to Anya and nudging her hand, “hey Anya” she greeted gently. The titan shifted her vague focus to the ghost happily as she continued. “How would you feel about going out to the wall?” She asked curiously. At first the titan was confused as she tried to remember but there was a moment that she seemed to realise something and she shook her hands with some soft excitement before looking as if she wanted to go somewhere, carefully searching the floor around her to make sure she was safe to stand.

Marie jumped up to offer her hands to the excited titan with a chuckle, “oh here we go, where are you off too” she mused. Anya accepted the help gratefully before starting to pull Marie behind her as she blindly felt her way back into the main part of the apartment. 

It was still a little slow as the titan was still learning her way around but she made her way upstairs with determination much to the two followers confusion. Marie was careful to make sure Anya didn’t slip on the stairs in her haste but they ended up in the titan’s room where she finally let the warlock go so she could search the room a little clumsily, clearly trying to find something. after a few minutes spent following the bed and walking around the room, Anya looked a little frustrated until she finally found the door of her walk in cupboard. 

Iskra floated over curiously as Anya searched for something specific. “what are you looking for?” She asked gently. The titan thought about the question, pausing her search and after a moment, she patted her hips, pulling at her clothes in reply. “a mark?” Iskra questioned with surprise. Anya nodded with the same quiet excitement before feeling for the cupboard and looking inside vaguely, the titan had already made quite the mess of the nearly folded clothing, actually messing up her neatly displayed marks but she obviously didn’t realise. Iskra looked thrilled at the possibility that she might want to wear some of her old armour and continued “you want to wear one? or your looking for a particular one?” She questioned further.

This seemed to be a harder question to answer but Anya considered it for a moment before motioning to her eyes and then her hips, suggesting that maybe she wanted a particular mark. Iskra took a second but nodded, “ok, you want to wear a particular one” she replied, allowing Anya to correct her before continuing, “armour too?” She asked carefully, trying not to let her excitement show too much. 

Marie looked a little concerned, despite some guilt, she approached Anya gently. “I’m not sure if your strong enough to wear your armour too long” she admitted, “are you sure you feel up to wearing such heavy armour?” She asked.

Anya turned to look at her with a determined nod, the excited effort to get up here already left her looking a little tired but it was clear just how much she wanted to wear her plates as she knocked her chest as of it were metal. Marie didn’t have the heart to tell her no since she was so set on the idea but she remained concerned. “Ok. Well, then I suppose we should pick your armour, maybe we can get it ready” she suggested, maybe Anya would forget about the idea if they left it long enough.

The titan looked pleased before beginning once more to feel around, briefly using the warlock to balance herself as she figured out where she was. Anya didn’t hesitate to continue moving and she blindly felt around until she found the wall once more, following it again. This time she was slower, as if searching for something and she paused on the torn up fallen cloak on the wall, just barely missing the shock blades hung underneath neatly. Marie almost had a heart attack, fearing the titan would hurt herself and carefully caught her hands. 

“Watch out my sweet, there is blades on the wall” Marie warned weakly. Anya just looked frustrated at the interruption, clutching the cloak as if trying to tell them something. 

Iskra tilted a little as she searched for meaning, “Cloak?” She asked looking thoughtful, definitely a little unsure on what her guardian was trying to say. “Fallen armour? I think Veta gave us some new armour for old times sake” she suggested. Anya shook her head at the suggestion though and iskra looked confused, “ok, got anything else for me?”. 

Anya took another long moment to consider the question before carefully following the walll along once more until she carefully felt her way to a large cabal shield. Marie was now following like a hawk as she feared that she would knock something off and accidentally hurt herself. Apparently the shield was what Anya was looking for though as she knocked on it before looking back vaguely.

Iskra was no clearer on an answer despite racking her data, she didn’t really have cabal like armour that wasn’t old patchwork armour from before the city. “Cabal cloak?” She guessed weakly before again being shut down by Anya, “metal cloak...” iskra muttered her herself, looking a little helpless. “I’m sorry, but I don’t understand” she finally admitted with guilt. Anya sighed looking frustrated at the failure of the two before blindly bringing her hands up to the cabal shield once more and concentrating. 

The two remained confused until her hands started putting off a misty smoke before catching fire. Despite catching fire, the fire was a glowing black with dark green pulsing through it and she pressed her hands against the shield with purpose. The fire spread quickly to engulf the shield completely and it burned somewhat brightly on the wall considering what it was. Anya relaxed quickly though, letting the fire go out as her hands fell tiredly and Marie moved to support her with disturbed shock. 

Iskra looked equally stunned, they hadn’t seen the extent of just what Anya could do, she’d shown the ability to teleport using hive runes only once but the rest of what she could do was a mystery. The ghost shook herself off to focus on what they were doing, “right, a Burning shield, what coul-OH, iron banner!” Iskra enthused. Anya finally nodded with relief now that they understood and knocked her fist to her chest again. Iskra lit up as everything fell into place, “of course! You wanna wear iron banner armour!” She smiled. 

With her message finally received, anya found Marie with her hands to cuddle her, leaning a little heavily as she rested against the warlock. this hint was easy, the titan was tired and Marie gently led her to bed, setting her down safely. Iskra settled beside her eagerly, “I can’t wait to see you in your armour again” she enthused happily.

Marie however eyed the unharmed cabal shield as the titan’s actions replayed in her mind. “that was a new trick my sweet, how long have you been able to do that?” She questioned gently. Anya looked unsure before shrugging and cuddling up to Marie with a content sigh.

At the mention, iskra deflated a little as she remembered the danger of what Anya had done. “Now you mention it, you bring up a good point” she admitted. 

Marie considered the situation quietly before looking to Anya and putting a hand on her cheek, “is that what your light was replaced with?” She asked carefully. 

Anya gave a nod and leaned into her hand affectionately before wrapping her arms around the warlock properly and leaning into whisper, “likes light better” she murmured, “warm, safe. Home”.

Marie blushed at the hug before looking a little flustered, not entirely sure if she meant her own light or just light in general. “you prefer light, that’s good to know” She replied with a chuckle before shifting to hold her lovingly, lightly stroking her hair, “well don’t you worry, I’ll keep you safe with the light, promise” she assured. Anya gave her a small smile but was content to just cuddle now looking tired.

Iskra looked to the warlock with uncertainty, “so, do you think it’s possible I guess? I let myself get excited but to be able to leave. How?” She asked.

The warlock bit her lip, she had similar fears but surely there was a way. “We won’t go until we know for certain that she will be safe” Marie assured, “I’d like to make certain that no one will sense her so perhaps I can figure out how to make a special biosuit or something” she mused thoughtfully. 

Iskra seemed to consider this before floating up with an idea, “can we suppress her or something? Anya used to be able to do it with her void, something like smothering a guardians energy so they are disadvantaged in a fight”.

Marie smiled as she listened too the idea, “of course, if I could make something to suppress her, then maybe they might not sense her but I can’t suppress guardians the same way, I’d need- Veta” she muttered, “but would she help?”.

“I think so” iskra assured, “I can only ask right?” She replied hopefully. 

Marie nodded, plans and thoughts already racing through her head. “Yes, I have work to do before that though” she replied, itching to get to work. “My sweet, would you mind staying here while I go get some things for work? Ill be right back” she promised. Anya agreed with a disappointed nod but let go so the warlock could be freed and she raced downstairs before returning with her study materials and a tea for herself.

On helping Anya into bed and letting her get comfortable, Marie pet her soothingly with a smile, “you did so good today” she cooed gently. The warlock was impressed with her patience for the experimentation but she showed some remarkable memory too. It’s not like Anya didn’t remember anything at all but she tended to find it hard to recall much, remembering what happened the day before was challenging too so she must have developed some short term loss combined with clouded long term memory. Anya gazed up at her with a content sigh before catching the warlocks hand lightly and pressing a kiss on the back of her hand. 

Marie blushed lightly with a chuckle, “oh you are charming aren’t you” she mused playfully. Anya had taken to kissing her hand as the most direct way to give her appreciation but it made the warlocks mind go back to the hunters words much earlier in the month. Admittedly, the titan was cute in her own way, sure she looked sickly and needed so much extra care. Anya was somewhat of a chore but Marie found it hard to find a reason not to enjoy the time. On the warlock front, she offered so much interest but as a person, Marie enjoyed who the titan was. 

Veta had brought up the possibility of Anya still having the capacity to love, which wasn’t totally a strange thought but surely it was impossible in her broken mind to trust anyone that much, let alone feel for someone like that. Who could possibly return that affection even if she was able to fall for someone in the first place. What would happen if her heart was broken, would she go on a murderous rampage. It was a complicated line of thought that didn’t offer many pleasant answers however it did remind Marie of the loneliness of the titan’s future, company would always be difficult for her. If anything, it just gave marie more reason to give her more to be happy about and if it meant trying to smuggle her in and out of the tower, then that’s what the warlock would try and do. 


	10. Learning how to break the rules

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anya finally returns to the open world for the first time since she left it as a broken shell.

It was another few weeks before Marie really started planning out how she was planning on sneaking the titan both out and back into the tower safely. While she was extremely worried about the potential for getting caught, it didn’t necessarily stop her from doing everything in her power to try and protect the titan. Her hopeful saving grace was the creation of a specially made biosuit that would hopefully suppress most of if not all of the darkness that anya gave off. If she could control it, than she hadn’t shown that she was able too yet and instead she was blissfully unaware that her darkness was a problem. The only time she picked up a problem was when she sensed discomfort from someone she was touching and depending on the strength of the mood, she pulled back with protective guilt. 

For anya’s new biosuit, Marie was hoping to make it almost impossible for strangers to sense her at all and if it worked than theoretically, Anya would be allowed to go out more often. To start with, Marie was fascinated to hear that biosuits were actually designed and created exclusively by ghosts. Once upon a time, a ghost decided to create what was essentially a network of data points so they could observe and look after their guardian. it took the physical form of a biosuit and despite being a thin compact jumpsuit, the cloth was actually packed full of small sensors buried by the ghosts. 

Marie took this information and ran with it as iskra told tales of how she would have to adapt to Anya over the years, mentioning that for a time she did try her hand at joining the sunbreak order but she never quite figured it out before she had to return to the city with her mentor dante. It was actually the cause of some of the old burn marks on her hands. In response to the attempted use of solar light, iskra actually begun using a stronger variant of the biosuit developed by the sunbreakers and it offered more protection of the intense heat of the light involved. Over the years the technology spread to all classes of course but with this knowledge in mind, Marie had an idea. 

She proposed a mix of warlock tech and the biosuit tech, warlocks weaved their armour into cloth rather than wearing heavy plates. There were obviously those who preferred plates but for the most part, warlock armour was made of strands of strong ballistic fibers mixed with a more practical cloth for comfort. The more sturdy armours were made mostly from ballistic fibre instead and weaved with harder materials, often ending up with a more uncomfortable over coat but more protective. Marie suggested that iskra make a special biosuit with the same thought in mind, weaving the hive powder into the cloth so it could hold a layer of suppressive light. 

The ghost was quite happy to play around with the idea, after some trial and error she succceeded in creating exactly what they had hoped for. It was a little complicated from iskra’s side as she had to ensure the suit didn’t hurt Anya rather than help but she had some practice on Marie herself before giving Anya another few days to get used to the sensation. The last thing that was missing was Veta. 

They had to wait for Veta to make it back to the tower before making too many plans and that often took a while because of the hunters preferences. But as usual, Veta let herself in by hacking the door. It was late afternoon so she expected to see Marie with a book while the titan was napping but the house was quiet and no one was around. She went to look upstairs before hearing a clatter in the kitchen and she changed direction, silently finding the two there. Marie was at the stove adding some vegetable to a large pot of something boiling while Anya sat at the table with her ghost in her hands, she seemed content to stare absently while waiting for her carer. 

Veta saw her chance, approaching Anya and putting a hand on her head lightly, “what you thinking about nesti” she mused cheekily. As expected, the titan flinched before looking around with a surprised smile. Anya didn’t hesitate to pull the hunter into a hug, resting on her chest with a sigh. The hunter usually didn’t approve of cuddles but that was before she’d discovered anya’s condition, she allowed it because the titan she knew was broken and even Veta didn’t have the heart to say no to the one who’d replaced her. The hunter returned the hug, patting her back awkwardly, “you look bored” she observed gently. 

Anya looked up to her before shaking her head and holding up iskra who was deactivated in her hand. The titan straightened up and cradled the ghost affectionately before looking for a spare chair, patting it lightly as if she wanted to invite the hunter to sit. Veta was always mildly concerned for the dedicated ghost but pyli, her ghost, whispered in her ear that iskra was just doing internal organisation so that anya could keep holding her. The hunter was relieved and with that in mind, she felt more comfortable. Veta and anya had once fairly often shared a drink together here after work so Anya knew where to go, helping herself to a bottle of vodka that the titan had left there beside her drinking glasses, she didn’t hesitate to pour herself a shot before bringing the bottle back to the table. 

It was only then that Marie seemed to notice anything as she vaguely spoke, “no playing with the doors my sweet, you will hurt yourself”. She didn’t look up as she had a book to her side that she was interested in.

Beta settled beside Anya with a chuckle, “but mother, I just want a drink” she joked as she added her own mixer to the shot and took a sip.

Marie flinched at the voice and looked around with fear briefly before looking irritated, “oh, it’s just you, why are you so quiet” she muttered with annoyance before noticing the drink and bottle that now sat beside her. “You keep that away from Anya” she warned, “I don’t know if it will hurt her”.

Veta shrugged as she lazily moved the bottle further away from Anya, “yes mother, and I’m a hunter, it’s kind of our thing” she added.

Marie bit back her reply with a huff, “well, you are creepy” she muttered, “I’m making dinner, do you want any?” She asked with a sigh as she turned to continue her work.

Veta gave a little smile at the comment before looking thoughtful, “how long is our chat going to take, you said you might need my help?” She asked. 

Marie nodded as she remembered about the plan after having forgotten, “right, depends on you really, we want to take anya out of the tower and of course come home at the end of the day”. 

Veta raised an eyebrow at the suggestion, and eyed Anya who seemed to perk up a little at the words. “Why?” She asked bluntly.

Marie paused with a sigh and turned back to face the two, “I just don’t want her to spend the rest of her life in this apartment like a prisoner” she admitted, “so I want to get her out somewhere secluded, let her have some fun and take her home where she is safe”.

Veta looked at the drink in her hand with a flicker of guilt but she hid it quickly glancing to Anya. Truthfully she shared the same thoughts, while it was true the titan had loved the city and lived on the walls, it didn’t mean she never liked going anywhere. She particularly hated being forced to stay somewhere without the choice of leaving. After a long moment Veta looked back to the warlock, “how?”.

Marie looked hopeful and a little surprised that as of the moment, Veta might agree to help. “Iskra and I, we made her a special bio suit and I think it can hide her power well enough to get her out of the tower in armour. I just need a suppressors light to, well, suppress her” Marie explained before looking to Veta, “you are the only one I know who can do that sort of thing”.

The hunter eyed the warlock skeptically before considering the idea properly, while it was true she had mastered her void, she wondered if she could do what Marie asked safely. “Well I can, but what are the risks? Besides death, capture, banishment, all of the above” she asked.

Marie looked unsure, “well in all my testing. I just can’t, well, suppress without losing control” she muttered, “usually I just end up absorbing the cloth, which if worn, well. It’s not good” she bit her lip before looking at Veta. “I figured that you should surely be able to do it, it’s funny but Anya could do it once but. Anyway” she sighed. “I could do the same with solar and arc but they would likely hurt her more than help, I just need as much void to create essentially a bubble of void around her so that it absorbs the outgoing dark and gives off a feeling that she’s a defender, or something like that” she explained.

Veta couldn’t help but feel anxious about said plan, it meant that she had to have more control than usual on her light and if something went wrong, Anya would be gone. The titan had lost interest in the long conversation now so she blindly felt for Veta and found her hand with a content sigh making Veta flinch out of her thoughts. Despite the doubt, after a moment the hunter took a long drink and set her cup down. “Fine, but how about we do this another way. I have a friend who can smuggle both me and Anya out, you pick us up on the outside. Drop us off and maybe they will help us back in too” she muttered. 

Marie looked surprised but looking unsure, “what’s the cost?” She asked a little suspiously. 

Veta shrugged, “depends, but for enough, they will do it” she replied, “only problem is whether Anya can transmat”.

Marie immediatly looked uncomfortable, Anya had already died once from transmat but she was able to shock her back. The titan was much healthier now though. “I, she should be fine” she admitted awkwardly, “I think”.

Veta raised an eyebrow at the warlocks doubt, “you think?”.

Marie nodded before sitting on the spare chair with a sigh, “look, she’s been transmatted twice, once from the moon to my ship” she explained awkwardly, the second time we stored her in my tablet to sneak her through the tower and she was dead when we could free her. Transmat is a stasis of data so clearly she had the strength to keep going the first time a longer transmat is dangerous. Granted now she is stronger but I just, I just can’t help but worry” she muttered.

Veta hadn’t been made aware of the titan’s close shave and she looked to the titan with concern before looking back to Marie. “We would be transmatting from the city to a target outside the wall, it’s fallen tech. City tech can’t go far enough” she replied, “do you think she can make it if a normal human has no problems with it?”.

Marie clutched her hands together as she considered the issue, fallen tech was naturally more unstable but it worked the same for the most part. “I, I don’t see why not. If anything does happen then, well I used arc to shock her back. I read that humans do that if their heart stops so I tried it” she admitted. 

Veta knew deep down what Anya would say about all this, just do it, who cares if she were to die, she’s just another nameless titan doing her job. Anya never shied away from something unpredictable, even walking into armies that she knew would overwhelm her. Veta had to rescue her body once since she died in a place that her ghost could not safely escape. The hunter eyed her glass before topping it up with another shot and downing it, “fuck me, let’s just do it, it’s less painful than being discovered in the hangar” she muttered, “I’ll talk to my people”.

Marie swallowed hard before looking to Anya, “what would she do? I, she was so excited to go out in her own armour so I just. I feel it’s cruel to keep her here but the risk. Is it worth the risk?” She asked, “be honest”.

Veta looked to the warlock bluntly, “she’d tell you to pull the trigger, just do it. If she was unsure about something, she’d do it anyway. That was just how she did things” she admitted, “Anya never fucked around too much”. 

Marie looked at the hunter with wide eyes and moved into guilt, “then let’s do it, what happens happens” she murmured, “I don’t want to hold her back”.

Veta nodded and looked to Anya with a guilty sigh before remembering something, “speaking of the devil, I have a present” she admitted, changing the topic as a bag transmatted into her hand. Anya tilted her head as the slight fluster of light acitivity nearby before looking unsure as Veta set the bag in front of her with a clinking sound. “What do you think nesti?” She asked as she nudged the titan’s hand to the bag.

Anya looked down curiously at the new sensation, a rough cloth greeted her, hemp perhaps but she couldn’t name it and curiously felt the new thing. With clumsy hands, she found the drawstring to open the bag and she found what felt like rough blocks. Marie watched with surprised hesitance, she was never sure what the hunter offered but as the titan pulled out a handful of blocks, she realised they were dominoes. The dominoes seemed to be made of many different materials and anya was soon fascinated but the different sensations that each material offered. With one hand she set the ghost on the table carefully before she inspected the blocks further and started separating the blocks. Anya however found herself getting confused because each half of the block was a different material with numbers set into the half. 

Veta watched with a chuckle as her friend investigated the present while Marie looked to the hunter with surprise. “Where did you get those? They are fantastic” she smiled.

“Made them” Veta replied, “think of it as a little trophy from everything I kill” she shrugged before patting anyas shoulder, “you want to play?”. Anya looked confused but nodded, pushing the bag and dominoes to the hunter curiously. “Good, was hoping so” Veta continued as she started counting out the blocks, she then looked to the warlock expectantly. “You too?” She asked. With a nod from the warlock, Veta served out all the dominoes but one and set that in the middle of the table. 

Veta got up to help the titan play as she begun to explain. “So, you can start, what you do is find the starting block, gently” she warned as she helped direct the titan’s hand, “now you need to pick one side and find a block that matches it”. Anya seemed to be doing her best to focus, with the hunters help, she found the centre and used her other hand to clumsily look for a block that felt the same, giving it to Veta. “No, now you put the block next to the first one” the hunter continued, once more guiding her hands, “just like that, and then then it’s Marie’s turn”.

Anya looked unsure but on hearing the hunters words, she looked proud and confident, pulling back to wait her turn. Marie listened carefully to the rules too only she could of course just use the numbers, one she had her go, Veta sat down to add her own before returning to the titan. “Ok, your turn” Veta mused, “I won’t help you this time, off you go” she teased.

The titan looked a bit nervous before looking determined, once more trying to find the centre. It took her time and she couldn’t help but make a bit of mess but after a long go, she proudly set a matching domino in the centre again. Marie was blown away by the game, she’d never heard of it due to her sheltered choice of life but it was ingenious, perfect for the titan and her blindness. The fact Veta had made the dominoes for her was sweet too and she could tell that there were quite a few different materials featured. She recognised rough bonelike hive chitin, silver bronze and rounded vex metal, vex ground construction made in a grid like fashion and much more. 

They managed a few rounds and the titan was clearly thrilled with the new game but it wore her down quickly and they couldn’t finish it as she started getting too forgetful, ending up forgetting what she was supposed to be doing. She started just playing with the blocks absently looked vague and tired so that’s where they left it but Veta, despite her cold appearance looked mildly happy that anya had enjoyed the game, even if it was short. 

Marie carefully put away the extra dominoes before looking to the hunter, “thank you, I’ve been looking for ways of stimulating her mind more and this is perfect”. 

Veta leaned back with a shrug, “I just wanted to play a game with her” she admitted bluntly, “I’d play cards but, that’s a bit beyond her unfortunately, dominoes will do. They are hers so do what you want”.

Marie smiled lightly, “well it gives us something to play, thank you, it’s getting hard to entertain her if I can’t sit still” she admitted.

Veta nodded with a chuckle, “I’m not surprised, she usually did like to keep herself busy, you could try giving her some armour to polish” she offered, “I can’t tell you just how obsessively she fussed over her armour, she’d clean mine if I left it too long and lecture me about it”. 

Iskra must have been listening in because that’s when she chipped in, activating on the table to find herself upside down. After straightening herself up, she looked to the hunter with amusement. “You know there was a reason for that, if you don’t look after your armour-“ iskra begun. 

-the armour will break, thank you mother” Veta sighed, “I’m still getting lectured” she muttered. 

“Your armour is important and expensive!” Iskra replied with exasperation.

Veta rolled her eyes and waved off the ghost, not appreciating the lecture at all, “Anyway, give her a piece of armour that you don’t mind playing with, she will be entertained until she falls asleep” she assured before looking to Iskra expectantly.

The ghost looked a little annoyed, rolling her shell moodily, “she has a point” she muttered, “I didn’t think of it”. Veta smirked at the ghost and iskra just huffed, “shut up”.

Marie looked between the two with a raised eyebrow, “are you always like this?”.

Veta nodded in reply, “of course, Anya loved it” she assured cheekily. 

Marie gave a disapproving sigh, she felt very motherly at the moment and moved back to the stove to check on dinner rather than lecturing the two. Since dinner was ready, Marie served it out before settling on anya’s other side with a full bowl for herself and an empty bowl. Veta seemed a little surprised at the taste of the soup, but while the warlock certainly hadn’t started out being any good with soup, the months of practice made Marie quite a good cook. 

Veta had never been around for a proper dinner time yet and normally, Marie would give the titan a bottle to drink from. Today however the soup was fresh so instead of using a bottle, Marie would pour a scoop of soup into the empty bowl, allow it to cool before offering small spoons of soup to Anya. The titan was as patient as ever of course and definitely ate a little more than Veta remembered. 

On finishing her own dinner, it was clear Marie and Anya would be a while so she got up and put the vodka away before cleaning up after herself lazily. When she was done, she moved to the door and looked back to the two, “I have people to see, I’ll visit tommorow” she finished, “have fun”.

Marie looked up with surprise having been pulled from looking after Anya, “take care I suppose, I hope dinner was ok” she added. 

Veta nodded with a shrug, “it wasn’t the worst thing I’ve had, it wasn’t bad almost” she mused, “almost as good as Anya was”.

Marie blushed with a shy chuckle, “oh, she was a good cook?”.

The hunter leaned against the wall with a nod, “not to mention she was old, she had time to cook so she did, was nice to come around occasionally” she admitted, “it’s nice to see she is getting decent food though”.

To Marie, she didn’t always understand the very sharp and somewhat unlikable hunter. Veta was uncomfortably awkward and very eager to be rude at times but there were flickers of times that Marie could see a little of the quiet person who appreciated having a friend. The back handed comment made her frown but as the warlock gazed at Anya, she sighed and looked back to Veta. “If you ever, uh, feel like it. You are welcome to come over for dinner, uh. You know” Marie offered awkwardly, it felt right in the sport of the titan she cared for. 

Veta looked a little unsure and almost shy at the offer, “uh, thanks. If I feel like not getting poisoned, I might” she replied a little quietly. The hunter didn’t seem to expect the offer at all but she didn’t waste to turn away and clear her throat. “Well thanks” she finished as she stepped out and let herself outside. 

Marie bit her lip, she guessed that was as nice as Veta got but she couldn’t tell and looked to the titan with a defeated sigh. “You have weird friends” she muttered. Anya just returned a vague smile and leaned into the warlock affectionately.

It was pretty early in the morning when the hunter returned to the titan’s home, sneaking in like she normally did to make herself a coffee and settling comfortably on the lounge. It was barely eight am so she actually beat the two guardians up much to Marie’s surprise. As the warlock led Anya gently down the stairs, she got a fright as she acknowledged a patch of dark that wasn’t supposed to be there and anya cuddled close in confusion.

Veta was amused of course, lounging with a hunters knife in her hands, spinning it between her fingers with boredom. “Good morning, I’ve never known miss white Knight to sleep in this long” she mused.

Marie frowned, taking a moment to resist lecturing the hunter with annoyance. “She doesn’t get up until I do, and she won’t sleep without company” the warlock grumbled, “what the hell are you doing here so early” she added as she subconsciously fixed her pj’s.

“Hm, sounds like she has you wrapped around her little finger” Veta replied playfully before swinging to her feet smoothly to put her knife in her belt. “I came to tell you not to sleep in tommorow apparently, we have an early morning start” she explained casually, “I have a friend who can smuggle Anya and I out, you go out, send me your co-ordinates and we will meet you and you guys can have your little date” she shrugged. “When your done, I can pick her up and return her home, all without anyone batting an eye” Veta added before looking to Anya thoughtfully, “take this as a test, I might not be able to do this as often as you will like”.

Marie blinked back shock as she attempted to process the information so early in the morning, finally resting on confused. “How? And I don’t know how well she will go without me” she admitted.

Veta shrugged, “that’s my secret, your choice if you want to take me up on the deal” she replied.

The warlock took a long moment to think before eyeing the hunter. “What about you, you will just wait all day?” She asked.

Veta shook her head, “nope, you message me when you’re done, I swing by and pick anya up, I’ll do my own thing during the day”. Anya looked confused between the direction of Veta's voice and the mixed feelings of the warlock, she was well and truly lost. She finally reached out vaguely to find Veta questioningly and the hunter willingly gave her hand. “Don’t worry nesti, how are you” she greeted a little softer. 

On finding the hunter, Anya stepped over to pull her into a bear hug. She was yet to be cleaned up it seemed as her face was stained with messy black tears, black bloody lips that trailed down her neck and sides of her face. Her hands despite being bandaged also showed black bleeding through them but not as much as you’d expect. Veta hugged her lightly and ruffled her hair, “look at you, if I didn’t know better, I swear you had a better night than me” she teased lightly. Anya vaguely caught her hair with light offense before smiling slightly and returning back to Marie. 

Marie thought the offer over for another long moment while Anya was greeting the hunter before finally sighing, “fine, sure, let’s try it. if it works, than maybe after some work, I can figure out a better way to get her through the tower next time. You might have to help me get her up and ready though” she warned, “she might have to adjust to being with just you and sparks for once”.

Veta gave a nod in reply, “sure, make sure you pack everything you need today though, I’ll be around tommorow” she shrugged as she moved to the door, “need me to buy anything for tommorow?” She asked. 

The warlock paused with a flicker of guilt, “uh, well, I had an idea, but. Well. Can you find a vanguard standard set of suppressive cuffs, hand, feet and neck if possible” she asked awkwardly. 

Veta turned to look at her with surprise, not expecting the request at all, “uh. Yeah, sure? Charged?”. With a nod from Marie, the hunter bit her lip, “easy, see you tommorow” she finished as she let herself out. Another short and to the point conversation but it offered an emotional surprise.

Marie felt a bit worried now that there were official plans to try and have Anya escape the tower. Until then, she had felt somewhat safe and secure in the fact that there was no plans because it meant Anya was safe. Tomorrow of course that would change, however brief the day might be. Anya was a bit fidgety in turn as she reflected the warlocks unsure emotions but since tommorow was such a big day, Marie attempted to convince the titan to rest so that she was as well as she possibly could be, it wasn’t so easy though as Anya became a little argumentative.

Marie found herself in bed feeling mildly defeated as the titan curled up to her moodily, refusing to sleep. “Anya my sweet” the warlock sighed, shifting to face the titan, “it’s going to be a big day tommorow, please do you want to sleep for me?” She asked gently, stroking her hair. Anya like the various attempts before, shook her head with a frown, glancing sideways with a huff. 

“What’s wrong?” Marie murmured tiredly, it was starting to feel like she was trying to convince a toddler to sleep. Anya shifted her moody stare back to the warlock before covering her eyes and then giving a final refusal, stating her position with another huff of annoyance. Marie bit her lip as she translated to her best ability, “not tired? You are always tired” she reminded, “you just don’t want too” she suggested. Anya nodded in reply and continued staring at her with vague determination.

“Why don’t you want to sleep, you don’t want to sleep through tommorow do you?” Marie warned. After a moment to think, Anya seemed to agree but not so much she relaxed her determination. She seemed to consider something before bringing a bandaged hand to the warlocks head and heart, followed up bully covering her ear as if Marie was noisy. The warlock had yet to completely understand the titan’s mind but she understood the meaning of noisy at least and looked uncertain. “You want me to stop talking? I was quiet for a long time and you still didn’t sleep” she muttered with slight annoyance.

Anya let her head drop with tired defeat before finally leaning into whisper under her breath so the warlock could hear, “Light is noisy. Upset”. 

Like usually she spoke barely above a whisper but Marie caught the words before feeling a little called out and blushing. “I am fine, just excited about tomorrow” she argued weakly, “I have to organise a few things after you get some rest” she added. 

Anya definitely wasn’t convinced and simply shook her head with stubborn resolve, despite her somewhat blank expression and misty eyes, you could still tell everything that anya was thinking when she was moody. After a long moment, Anya seemed to make up her mind, pushing the warlock away weakly to turn over and instead leave Marie facing her back stubbornly. She instead started hugging a pillow and cuddled into bed. Marie was instantly broken from her thoughts briefly as she processed what had just happened, it was the very first time anya had specifically pushed anyone away let alone preferred to be alone. There was a flicker of pride that anya could do it in the first place before it was replaced by concern. 

“Anya, I’m sorry, i just don’t understand completely” Marie admitted, gently putting a hand on the titan’s shoulder. It was barely a moment before Anya shook her off though and got under the blankets of her bed further, shooting a misty but definitely furtive gave in Marie’s general direction. 

At this, Marie felt almost offended at the alien behaviour, not quite knowing just how to deal with this new interaction. She finally but her lip and got up out of bed, clearly there was nothing she could do here so she focused on her chores. “Fine, so be it, ask sparks to find me if you need me” she warned sounding a little miffed as she stepped out to prepare the titan’s armour and their picnic. It was about half an hour of moody stewing before Marie stopped and realised she was tearing up against her will.

“Are you ok Marie?” Esperer asked gently as she appeared to hover over the warlocks shoulder protectively. 

Marie jumped looking flustered before tearing up further with confusion, “I, uh. I think so” she murmured, “must be dust from the armour”.

Esperer gave the warlock a long glance before shaking her head, “that armour is polished spotless, there is no dust” she warned. “Is it anya?”. 

Marie looked mildly offended at the mention and huffed, “no, she can do what she wants, I’m, I mean I was just trying to help” she replied quickly, sounding meaner than she’d meant too. 

Esperer raised a plate as if doubting her, the warlock was an open book like usual. “So why are you crying then?” She asked bluntly.

The warlock flashed an annoyed look to the ghost before looking confused and a little frustrated, drying her tears stubbornly. “I don’t know” she muttered. 

There was a long moment of silence as Marie continued pre-packing her picnic basket before the ghost finally replied. “Maybe, you feel something for her” Esperer suggested quietly, “it’s the first time she’s said no so bluntly so it’s either that, or you’re trying to hard to control her” she warned.

Marie looked flustered at the words, she was proud of how much she could get Anya to do but she never wanted to control the titan, she was certain that freedom was what she wanted for Anya. The problem was that it meant she felt something for the titan, although that wouldn’t explain why she was so miffed would it. Just because Anya didn’t want to be with her, it didn’t matter that much, did it?. The warlock swallowed hard looking determined, “neither one of those things are true” she finally replied stiffly, “I don’t mean to control her, and she is my patient, I just want to see her well” she assured, the words felt weak though. 

Esperer sighed to herself as she nudged Marie’s cheek, “uhuh, well try not to offend Anya too much or we won’t be able to take her anywhere tommorow” she reminded with mild defeat, hiding once again on the warlocks person. Marie just huffed with mild annoyance as stubbornly kept on working. The only thing she reluctantly admitted too was the fact she needed to calm down a bit before returning to try and convince Anya to sleep.

Marie left it a few hours before finally trying to return to the titan, passing the time with some study to silence her mind a little. She was incredibly worried about tommorow but she’d double checked everything so she was certain that anya would be safe, all that was left was to convince herself. She put it all aside though as she approached the titan’s room and she suddenly felt her throat tighten. Marie paused at the door as she was overtaken with a new feeling, it wasn’t quite guilt, not fear, but close to the two. When she looked to the lifeless Anya, Marie choked up slightly with confusion, recognising that she was sorry at least but the rest of it all was completely new. 

She took a moment to try and swallow her feelings before gently sitting beside the titan a little awkwardly. Anya was still awake of course, staring lifelessly ahead of her as she cuddled her pillow, iskra asleep in her hands. The ghost had started the crucible feed quietly so she was entertained despite looking as lifeless as she did. As Marie sat down however she looked to the side vaguely with a flicker of uncertainty. 

“It’s just me my sweet” Marie greeted gently, putting a hand on her shoulder lightly. Anya looked conflicted instantly and while she didn’t sweep the warlocks hand off completely, she returned to her vague staring in the opposite direction. Marie was almost thrown off by the strength of the feelings that washed over her, guilt, sadness, pain. Marie swallowed hard and bit her lip, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it, I don’t know why you’re upset” she admitted, “but I’m sorry”. 

Anya seemed to react slowly, glancing back with slight indecision before shifting to pat the bed beside her, possibly forgiving her but Marie wasn’t sure. The warlock had finished her chores so she didn’t argue, getting into bed somewhat timidly to face Anya. “I was a bit forceful” she admitted quietly, “I won’t make you sleep if you don’t want too, I was just worried about you. I fear that tommorow might hurt you if you don’t get plenty of sleep”.

Anya sighed and clutched her ghost tight as she shifted once more to cuddle up to the warlock, her spare hand resting on her chest consideringly before she seemingly settled against her. Marie pulled her into a tight hug, relief flowing through her causing a smile. “Feeling better?” She asked gently.

Anya nodded as she pet the warlocks chest, nuzzling into her with a sigh, seeming content at last despite the days irritation. Marie just found herself happy that anya seemed happier again and she tried to keep it that way, finally managing to lull the titan into a sleep. The day had been stressful, the emotions both old and new had tired Marie out so once she was sure Anya was asleep, she followed as well, hoping she didn’t sleep in tommorow. 

It felt like Marie had only been asleep for minutes when she was nudged by a ghost and the warlock attempted to drag herself from sleep with a disappointed sigh. The room was still dark but the bright optic of Esperer looked back to her when she finally mumbled some sleepy French. “Our mysterious hunter friend is here and waiting downstairs” the ghost greeted quietly.

The warlock gave a vague nod and shifted to rub her eyes, “tea” she replied a little more clearly before looking to the titan beside her. Anya was still asleep and clinging to her as if her life depended on it, Iskra was settled between them both in anyas hand. Esperer flew off without another word leaving the warlock to begrudgingly consider getting up but she started by stroking the titan’s hair gently. It was enough to make the titan flinch awake looking drowsy but her gaze was still wide and searching as she adjusted from her deathlike sleep. 

Her sleep had yet to improve really, it was a facinating show as Anya slipped into a coma, her body slowing down into an almost hibernating state that she could pull herself out of quickly. It took a few minutes for her body to work right after but she was always ready to check for danger despite being unable to move properly. Marie always liked to let her adjust and calm as it helped her temperament for the day, if you rushed her, she tended to get moody and defensive. It was only when anya was ready that Marie dared moving because convincing the titan to let go before that could be difficult. 

On looking at the time, it was about four in the morning which made Marie cringe a bit but she finally dragged herself out of bed followed by Anya who was still a little clumsy. Marie had already set the titan’s pre-prepared armour in the bathroom so she could move directly into preparing the titan for her big day without messing up her routine too much. Things were going well until it came to the point of putting Anya in her plates. Everything up until that point was easy, the biosuit, under armour and gloves over the usual bandages were simple but as a warlock, Marie only knew how to wrap herself up in the distinctive dress like armour. Heavy metal plates were not her thing so she pulled Anya out into the living room awkwardly where there was more space to both learn and maybe the hunter could help. 

As Marie settled, she looked a bit awkward as she looked to the plates set out neatly on the coffee table. “So, uh, you’re gonna laugh” she muttered half jokingly, “but how do you put on titan armour?” She asked with a chuckle, directing the question to all in the room.it was embarrassing but maybe Anya would find it funny too and it appeared she did as she smiled briefly.

Veta who’d taken up the other lounge looked up at the comment with an amused chuckle, “right, warlock. You don’t wear plates much” she observed.

“No” Marie replied with a blush. 

Iskra had clearly not thought about this ahead of time and appeared with a giggle, “oh, right. uh, well I guess I can put it On if you like, I’ll have to size it anyway” she offered, “anya isn’t as, well built, as she used to be” she admitted. Anya looked almost disappointed at the mention of the idea and searched for the ghost vaguely putting a hand on her chest with some half hearted determination. 

Marie eyed the titan curiously and put a hand on her shoulder supportively, “what’s wrong my sweet, Do you remember how?” She asked gently. Iskra paused at this looking surprised as Anya raised a hand and tilted it from side to side in a mostly manner before patting her chest. 

The ghost gave a long moment of consideration before she rolled her eye dramatically, “ok ok, then I’ll help Marie help you, is that ok?”. Anya nodded, lighting up a little at the offer and The warlock chuckled nervously. After a moment, iskra seemed to do the calculations quietly, adjusting the armour from its previous size to a smaller more fitting size. It wasn’t too different but it was different enough that you could tell a little. The ghost double checked everything befire finally turning to Marie, “ok, so it’s easier than it looks, I promise. Honestly, I’m not that surprised she wants to do it herself, she just always enjoyed putting her armour on herself, even when we were together. Same with taking it off too, it was a pride thing I suppose” Iskra explained lightly.

“Definitely a pride thing, but I can see why” Veta admitted, watching with a level of interest, “if I recall, she liked using the time to check her armour condition no?”. 

Iskra looked up with a chuckle, “yes, you remember? As she’d take of each plate, she’d check for mess, damage and wear. She liked fixing things herself if she was home but it was her ritual I suppose”. 

Marie looked between the two before glancing at Anya with a gentle smile, “I can understand her pride I suppose, she had a lot to be proud of. I suppose I’m not really surprised she was so fussy either, this is what her house looks like” she added playfully.

Iskra floated a little higher with pride and laughed, “you have a point” she replied before turning a little more serious. “ok, so it’s easy, promise” she mused, beginning a through explanation of titans armour with the occasional addition from Veta. 

Marie had actually always thought titan armour as more of a connected set of plates that somehow titan’s put on but her mind was quickly opened. she started with the chest plates that went over anya’s head, almost like slipping on a shirt. Iskra pointed out the hidden mechanics so that marie in turn could help guide the titan’s hands to the belts and various clips that tightened and held the infamous metal shell together. The arm plates clipped to the top of the shoulder straps before Marie helped belt them to her upper arm, not forgetting the wrist plates either. Anya liked her armour surprisingly tight considering her physical issues, worrying the warlock a little bit it appeared as if Anya would have it no other way. After the titan was satisfied, the armour seemed to improve her posture immediately which was good and anya already looked more like she should have than ever before.

Anya already showed remarkable memory because it didn’t take much more than guiding her hands before Anya could clumsily but properly do up her own armour for the most part. She was clearly concentrating hard but she looked proud as she worked slowly. The boots looked particularly easy for her and it was as if she had not forgotten a thing despite some blind fumbling. she almost expertly did up her boots and leg pads with just the warlocks guidance alone although Marie had to make sure they were in the right place. Last but not least, Marie gave the titan her rather heavy leather belt with a centre of something stiff. a proud iron banner mark hung from her hip and small bags were looped around the thick belt lined with leather for comfort. It was all adjusted to fit her properly but there was a sense of pride that radiated from Anya once she was finished and she smiled before flinching, putting a hand on her cheek with a sigh. She then moved to her hair with a now familiar flicker of disappointment, bringing a hand to feel her long hair.

Iskra shifted her shell with guilt, “It’s too long, I know. Maybe we can get you to a hairdresser” she mused hopefully, “or Marie is going to have to learn how to cut hair” she added before looking to the warlock. “can you tie her hair back?”.

Marie looked flustered at the suggestion before nodding and getting up, “oh, I don’t, I can put her hair back” she assured.

“I could do it?” Veta offered bluntly, “I do my own since I don’t come to the city much and I can’t promise it will be perfect, but I can certainly cut it if she doesn’t mind it being messy”. The hunters hand moved to her knife instinctively as she spoke.

Marie was quick to shake her head as she gently started braiding the titan’s hair, “no, that’s not necessary” she assured, “this will do”. The warlock had taken a liking to the titan’s longer, admittedly quite unhealthy hair but it was still a pretty deep plum and she liked playing with it. Usually Marie didn’t do hair, her own was short and fluffy so the most she could do was mildly make it look like it was supposed to be messy. It meant anya’s hair was messy but it did the job. “I don’t think I’ve asked, but how did she do her hair before?” Marie asked curiously. 

Iskra floated up with a smile, “I can show you some pictures. she went to get her hair permed every fortnight so it stayed out of her face and kept neat, she kinda had a straight bob” she explained, “it was always more convenient for work, though her hair parting was more off sided to create kind of a fringe”.

Veta nodded with agreement, “you’d look at her and think she was probably going to be stiffer than Zavala with stick up his arse, then she would talk” she joked.

Marie raised an eyebrow at the description before biting her lip with amusement, Veta wasn’t entirely wrong about commander Zavala. Besides the chatter, with Anya now fully armoured up, besides of course her helmet, she was somewhat imposing in her own way. She wasn’t quite as big as she might have been but her height and metal certainly compensated for that, making even her small unhealthy frame seem almost normal. Marie however wanted to check that she could even walk before they got to far and focused on Anya, taking the titan’s hands in hers.

“Well done my sweet” she mused gently, “you want to take a small walk with me for a minute?” She asked. Anya was quite content, quietly proud of either her armour or herself, either way, she was perfectly happy to oblige, nodding and allowing Marie to help her up. It almost appeared easier to stand as her armour seemed to offer extra support but it also meant that if she fell, she’d fall like a tree rather than collapsing like she usually might. Marie had to catch her briefly as Anya let out a pained whimper, it had been a long time since she wore such constricting armour and it showed as she almost had trouble adjusting. It was barely a moment before an unusual sense of calm came over her and anya straightened up with heavy sigh, she hadn’t stood so straight, even in warlock armour, so Marie assumed it was old habits driving her for the moment. 

Once ready, Anya quite happily walked slowly with the warlock and after Marie was satisfied that she would be able to walk with Veta, Anya could sit down. Marie felt almost overwhelmed with pride, tearing up a little as she came to realise just how far her patient had come, it showed a lot that anya could now both wear and walk around in her old armour. The warlock sat beside Anya to give her a tight hug, “I’m so proud of you my sweet, or should I say, my titan” she mused affectionately.

Anya smiled a little, looking almost shy for a moment before returning the hug. Veta had watched in silence of course, observing with interest until she watched the titan walk. She too found herself subtly tearing up, she’d missed this Anya, it had been a long time and this was the closest she was ever likely to get to her old self. Veta shrugged it off with a cough, “well, when your ready, I can leave and I’ll send you the co-ordinates” she offered lightly.

Marie nodded with a sniff and shifted to get up, placing a kiss on anya’s head. “Of course, I will get ready shortly” sge assured before kneeling in front to the titan, “Anya my sweet, you are going to go with Veta and iskra, I will catch up ok?”. Anya took a moment before looking concerned at this new information and Marie bit her lip with guilt, she’d had a feeling that anya might not like the news. “I’ll be right there before you know it” she promised gently before standing again, she found her heart aching a little as she pulled away and gave the hunter a nod. 

Veta didn’t waste time to swing to her feet to replace Marie, pulling out a bag and looking unsure, “what did you want done with these cuffs?” She asked as she took one of anya’s hands.

Marie stepped away awkwardly, looking back with confusion before remembering her own request, “oh, right, put those on her please” she replied with guilt, “she may not like them but I don’t know”. The warlock stopped briefly as if arguing with herself, forcing herself to continue heading upstairs leaving Anya with the hunter.

“Right, make me do the sketchy stuff, gotcha” she muttered and looked up to Anya who still looked concerned. “What’s wrong nesti, don’t trust me?” Veta mused gently as she set about clipping so muted purple cuffs on the titan’s hands, feet and lastly neck. Perhaps it was the mix of emotions but Anya didn’t seem too fussed to begin with and the hunter was certainly relieved that she didn’t have to make an enemy of the titan. With that last job done, Veta stood and put the titan’s helmet on, patting her shoulder lightly, “alright titan, let’s go” she mused gently, offering her hands. “Don’t make me give you orders” she warned playfully. 

Iskra quite happily shifted to hide in the titan’s armour for support before Anya allowed Veta to help her up, a little clumsy as always but she was clearly somewhat capable despite leaning a little on the hunters support. Veta was used to breaking rules but this felt oddly different, it made her slightly anxious which was odd because she’d done much worse without blinking an eye. It didn’t change her will though as she led the titan into the darkened morning street. There was very few people in the street and they were all guardians, likely heading out to the hangar for their various duties. Veta made sure the two of them were not noticed as she slipped through the side streets when it was convenient, finally making it to this floors entrance to the underground.

The entrance looked like a broken and warn scrap piece of fallen tech. The screen was broken and flickered with alien language, Veta however wasn’t thrown off by the aporearance of the machine, a fallen teleporter. She shifted Anya so she was carefully on the plate before squeezing the titan’s hand, “hold onto me nesti, it will be strange but you are safe with me, I’ll stab anyone who scares you” she promised. Anya was still quite nervous, having never gone anywhere without Marie but the words seemed to help a little and she clutched the hunters spare hand tightly. It was instant when Veta pressed the code of alien symbols, the feeling of floating before landing on their feet as they were taken from one place to the next. 

They found themselves in a small enclosed room with just a matching fallen teleporter and pad in the centre, Anya seemed unsettled, pulling closer with a surprised whimper but she was ok for the most part. Veta took a moment to sooth her before gently leading her out of the room via a closed door. “You know you used to come here quite a lot, mistress misses you, claims you were one of her best customers” Veta joked gently, “but I suppose you don’t remember any of that” she sighed.

Anya looked around vaguely despite the fact she couldn’t see, wary as ever but she didn’t seem to remember anything of the hunters words. “It’s ok, I suppose I’m just nostalgic” Veta admitted as she headed to a little shop called lights and trinkets. All of the shops here looked pretty nondescript, the only sign of the true reason for this places existence was the rather sexual posters of various men and women on the walls leading to a place called the vault. As the entered the little shop, it looked to be your average guardian supply shop only the stock on the shelves were not necessary Legal to sell. Behind the counter was the equivalent of a cigarette display but it held capsules of various marierials from all over the system. The shelves held more rare equipment, even alien equipment like empty ether tanks, enemy weapon ammunition and parts among a list of other things. 

Veta came in here more often than she’d openly admit too, but the most surprising thing about the shop was the young awoken girl behind the counter. She was in her teens dressed in somewhat rough robes and she covered her head with a hood. she sat behind the counter tinkering with a disassembled fallen device of sorts, looking up to the sound of the door bell. “Ah, boa?” She greeted in a rough accent, as if she’d lived in the wilds. 

Veta nodded and approached the counter, being careful to lead Anya so that she didn’t run into anything. “My friend and I wish to get out of the city, returning tonight” she replied bluntly, pulling a knife from her belt to set it on the counter, “your payment like agreed”.

The girl eyed the titan curiously before looking to the knife, accepting it as she picked it up. “Follow me” she replied, pressing a button under the counter to lock the front door before opening up a door to the back room. Veta had never had a reason to go to the back room herself, normally she just dropped things off and picked things up from the counter. she was certainly surprised as she entered the back room, it looked like a fallen den with netting and flags pinned from the walls and ceilings. The shelves back here contained various different weapons of alien descenty, mostly fallen in nature with other equipment to match. The corner of the room however hosted yet another fallen teleporter and this was where the young girl was leading them. After ensuring everyone was in place, the girl activated the port and this time it was not as quick as the one that got them to the underground. It was rougher in a sense and even Veta had found the teleport mildly uncomfortable, on landing, Anya almost fell, leaning heavily on Veta for a moment with a quiet whimper.

They found themselves in another small room clear of mess but they were clearly surrounded by eliksni construction. As the girl shifted to lead them, she turned around when she didn’t hear footsteps to see Veta supporting Anya. “Are you ok?” She asked with quiet worry, “I probably should have warned you that it will be a bit rough” she admitted.

Veta nodded, “it’s fine, she just isn’t well” she explained, “can I have a moment?”. The young girl nodded, waiting politely against the wall until Veta was ready to go. Anya seemed a little more clumsy than before but she recovered for the most part so they continued and on leaving the teleport room, Veta was surprised to find herself in a slightly sloped shell of a skiff. It was pretty barren as skiffs went but they exited the ship through the semi buried tail of the skiff where the adds would usually jump out. Outside the skiff was an old and overgrown wreckage but it was clear that the place looked empty from above. From the ground, there were hidden structures and storage spaces that would escape the eye of most. 

The girl turned to the two and pointed to a trail, “a few minutes that way and you are free, you know the deal” she added befire eyeing the titan, “no words from either”.

Veta nodded and chuckled, “believe me, you won’t hear a word from my friend, she’s blind and forgetful, you have my word” she assured as she begun to led Anya gently, “thank you”.

The girl nodded, looking even more curious at the titan now but holding her tongue. She watched the two disappear before returning to her duties. After a short walk, they found themselves in the crisp morning air of sunrise. The sky was starting to turn blue now and it left Veta to look at the titan, now they had to wait. Anya was still a little unsteady so Veta helped her sit before taking her helmet off gently, the titan clearly looked unwell but she looked around warily as she realised she didn’t recognise where she was. 

“Easy, easy nesti, your safe, we are outside the city, that’s all” Veta assured lightly and pulled out a cloth to clean her face. The titan seemed to consider these words before looking back to Veta with mild confusion and she brought a hand up to search the hunters shoulders and head, unsure of something but it wasn’t clear what she was thinking. It was barely a few minutes before a ship soared into view and slowed, landing in front of the two. It wasn’t Veta’s usual choice of ship, a bit bulkier in nature with a back door flap that made loading cargo easier, she only used it if she was farming something that couldn’t be digitally stored and today, she was using it she Anya wouldn’t have to climb into her other ships.

“Ok, here’s our ride, up you go” Veta greeted gently, once more helping the titan up. She looked a little better with the short rest that she’d been given but it was still a little clumsy helping her up the ramp and into the ship. Balance was hard when you couldn’t see apparently. 

“Right on time pyli” Veta greeted as she entered the cockpit and helped secure the titan. 

“As always” the ghost replied smugly from the ships console, “you two are slow” she teased.

The hunter chuckled as she rolled her eyes, “please, nothing has changed, nesti is always slow” she teased lightly as she set herself up in the cockpit. “Did anyone question you?” She asked.

“They didn’t get an answer other than Amanda” pyli replied playfully, “no troubles from anyone though, should I send the co-ordinates now?” She asked.

Veta nodded as she powered up the ship, “yes my light, go ahead”. The hunter glanced back to check on Anya only to cringe internally, the titan appeared to not be enjoying this at all, she looked scared so despite wanting to fly the ship, Veta looked to the screen with a sigh. “You fly, I’ll be busy” she muttered as she got up to kneel by Anya and take her hands. “Hey nesti, what’s wrong. We are just going for a short flight” she explained gently. 

Anya clutched the hunters hands tightly and shifted her gaze to stare at her with surprising accuracy, much quicker than usual and Veta shivered. “You won’t even realise we went anywhere” she promised as the ship took off, much more gently than usual. Anya didn’t seem to calm, her gaze flicking around with wary fear before returning to Veta, she didn’t seem convinced at all. Despite Veta'ss company, Anya seemed to get more unsettled as the flight went on but they were lucky it was only ten minutes away. By the time they reached the clearing of choice, Anya looked both anxious and incredibly sick so Veta was more than happy to help Anya free of the metal monster she was stuck in. 

The titan was once more a bit shaky on her feet and it showed as she slipped on the ramp before roughly sliding and rolling into the grass. It wasn’t enough to hurt her but Veta found herself on the ground as well as Anya had brought her with. Despite her mild annoyance at being tangled up with the titan, her concern won over as she gently checked on the limp looking titan. “You ok nesti?” She asked gently. 

It took a moment this time for Anya to find the hunter and she gave a weak nod as she clumsily tried to pick herself up, Veta moved to help but they managed to get the titan to her hands and knees before Anya started coughing painfully before gagging and throwing up black sludge. It was almost enough to make the hunter gag too but she held off while the titan finished because she didn’t want to make it worse. Anya was quite the mess now so once Veta could move them both away a bit, she gently set the titan against a tree to clean her up with a sigh. “Today hasn’t started well has it” she murmured with guilt, “you ok nesti?”. 

Normally anya was quite cool to the touch but she was a little warmer at the moment which was mildly concerning, the titan gave a nod though, seemingly insisting that she was fine. “Well your warlock friend will be here soon and I’m sure she’s much better with these things than I am, she will fix you up” Veta promised with gentle amusement. Anya looked around at the mention of the warlock, looking a little upset as she turned back to the hunter and clutched her hands close. Since they had time to kill and an anxious titan in their hands, Veta settled beside her and looked to Anya curiously, “so, you seem to like this Marie of yours” she teased lightly, “how much do you like her?” She asked curiously.

The titan seemed to look thoughtful before seeming a little shy, averting her gaze ever so slightly as her cheeks darkened with tainted light. Veta smiled with mild surprise, “oh, shy? Now that’s new, I’ll take that as a lot then” she mused, “why do you like her?”. Anya looked down further, deciding on if she should say anything or not but she finally returned her gaze to press a hand against Veta’s heart and head lightly, again with surprising accuracy. 

“Oh, so looks and boobs right?” Veta teased before chuckling, “Marie is nice, you’re lucky you just happened to be found by someone like her”. Anya instantly looked frustrated but realised it was a joke after a moment, lightly swatting the hunter in response. She stared into space as if considering the next words, finally nodding. It was a little hard trying to converse with the mostly silent titan, particularly for Veta who was already running out of things to say but while Anya was busy, she seemed to relax a little so she kept trying. 

“Hey nesti, is it nicer out here? Away from the tower?” She asked a little awkwardly, “it’s a nice day you know, a nice blue sky, a few clouds. I see a ship pass occasionally too”. Veta looked to the titan, “I know you can’t see it, but maybe you can remember what it was like out here”. The titan looked up vaguely, it wasn’t certain if she remembered anything but she finally looked back to the hunter and nodded, an unclear answer to both questions asked. “You remember?” Veta asked. Anya shook her head lightly so Veta continued, “it’s better out here?” She added. 

The titan nodded looking conflicted before leaning in carefully to whisper. “Can breathe. Too much light is heavy. Smothers” she breathed roughly. 

Veta looked thoughtful, it was odd to imagine that there was too much light for a guardian, but then again, Anya didn’t walk in the light anymore. It made sense in that context that there could be too much light suppressing the darkness that held her. “Well Marie plans to have you out here all day” she replied with a chuckle, “maybe next time you won’t get so sick” she admitted. 

Anya gave a small smile before pulling the hunter into a bear hug with a content sigh, “your light is clearer here, see you better” she admitted with a whisper.

The hunter allowed the hug before looking confused at her words, “see me? Aren’t you blind?” She asked awkwardly. 

Anya nodded before looking unsure as she considered how to explain herself, finally looking back to Veta. “You, see light, like angel” she murmured before vaguely holding her hand out in the space beside them, “nothing. End of world. Scary” she addmitted before resting against the tree tiredly. 

Veta took a long moment to process this before carefully shifting to face the titan. “You can see my light? But the rest is gone” she questioned. Anya gave a light nod and the hunter looked mildly stunned, “so it’s like night vision I suppose, but a really bad version. Is that how hive see?” She muttered to herself with a shiver, “no wonder guardians fall to them so often”. 

Anya found the hunters hand and brought it to her cheek with a sigh before whispering again although she had to repeat it so that the hunter could lean in and listen to it. “Such pretty light. Cold, sharp but soft. I miss void” she whispered with a sad edge. 

Veta shivered once again, she hadn’t quite realised or remembered that anya could read light that well and she felt a little uncertain. “You my friend are creepy” she muttered before nodding, “I miss your void too” she added gently, “still haven’t found a stronger titan that I like”.

Anya nuzzled her hand affectionately before looking directly to Veta, “voice says, stay safe” she sighed, “nice voice, can trust this one” she murmured looking tired. 

Veta chuckled with surprise, blushing a little with nostalgia, it was something Anya always said when she left before all this. It was likely just a coincidence but the voices reminded Veta just how broken the titan was. If there was a good voice, then there were bad ones and usually more than one voice meant crazy. Veta gazed at Anya with sadness, her friend didn’t deserve this insanity and she often wondered if it was still kinder to end it all. The thoughts were broken by another ship landing and Veta pulled back as she cleared her throat. She wouldn’t be caught dead being too emotional in front of anyone but Anya. 

As for Anya, she instantly looked to the noise vaguely looking frightened and Veta stood beside her, setting her hand on her head supportively, “it’s ok, it’s probably just Marie, if it’s not, they are dead” she shrugged confidently. Anya didn’t seem overly convinced but she found comfort in the hunters hand at least and waited. 

Fortunately, Veta was correct as Marie surfaced from her ship barely a few minutes later, not that anya could tell. All Anya saw was a vague figure of light, golden in colour approaching them quickly. To Veta, it was obvious that the warlock had been incredibly worried, trying to approach casually but she was far to rushed to look anything near casual. She slowed on seeing the concern in Anya but gently kneeled and offered her hand. “Hey my sweet, are you ok?”. 

On recognising the voice, Anya didn’t hesitate to take her hands with relief, pulling her into a cuddle much to the warlocks surprise. She was left in a bit of an awkward position, trying not to lean to heavily on the titan while trying to keep her balance and not offend Anya in the process. “Oh my sweet” she mused affectionately, “I suppose you missed me” she teased lightly, hugging her in return. 

Anya just nodded into the warlocks chest with a quiet whimper, it appeared that she didn’t seem to want to let go either as the air turned a little awkward in the prolonged hug. Marie looked to Veta with a blush as she she ended up sitting on the titan’s lap facing her, stoking her hair calmingly. The warlock cleared her throat before speaking, “so, How did she go? I was worried she might get dangerously upset” she admitted carefully, taking care to watch the titan’s reaction.

Veta didn’t blink an eye at the titan’s affection, Anya could be worse sometimes after drinking once upon a time but she did respect the warlocks discomfort and averted her gaze, she was after all stuck in a sort of sensual place. “Well she certainly disliked the teleport, particularly a lengthy one but she did as she was told and clung to me like a scared toddler. It was after flying that she got sick, she seems to have recovered quickly though” she explained.

It was only then that iskra quietly appeared at the titan’s shoulder to dart out of the guardians close quarters. “I can actually explain the flights sickness” she admitted, “Anya always had a love hate relationship with flight. It’s necessary but she hates it because it makes her air sick”. The ghost eyed the titan with a sigh before looking to the hunter, “I did register some extra pain after the long teleport but the sickness may have been similar to her air sickness, just not as severe”.

Veta looked taken aback at the explanation and raised an eyebrow in disbelief, “are you fucking kidding me? I couldn’t kill her, let alone shake her off for that long and she can’t fly?!” She grumbled, shooting an irritated look to the titan despite her innocence. “Nesti suka, how the hell are you going to tell me she was that stupid and couldn’t fly” Veta finished angrily, “I could have just flown away”.

Iskra looked equally as taken aback by the sudden aggression before looking at the hunter with diasapoimtment. “Please, we both know it wasn’t anything but the vanguard forcing you to behave. The fact she kicked your ass meant nothing” she replied mildly smugly.

Veta went to argue before waving the ghost off with a grumble, “you’re lucky I don’t want to make nesti mad” she muttered.

Marie felt a little awkward in between the tension but the new fact, or at least, she had forgotten it if she’d been told. It was interesting to know and it explained why Anya looked very beat up currently. The warlock pressed a kiss on her head affectionately with a sigh, “my poor sweet, I’m sorry, I didn’t know your travel would be so uncomfortable” she murmured, “how about we arrange some breakfast and rest now that I’m here” she mused, speaking quietly to Anya. The titan gave a small nod before looking up to gaze at her, she was a little down but for the most part, she was content to be safe with the warlock it seemed. If she was at all uncomfortable with Marie on her lap, she hadn’t made a move to shift her at all. 

After letting the children talk, Marie finally got the hunters attention gently, “uhum, Veta, thank you for this. If I can help you at all, feel free to ask” she offered gratefully. “What are you doing now?” She asked.

Veta looked a little shy as Marie thanked her, shrugging it off casually, “I owe Anya anyway” she admitted, “I have my ship so I’m leaving, if hate you get sick with all this affection around” she muttered half jokingly. “If you need me to return her to the tower later, I’ll come pick her up and probably avoid making her sick next time. I’d rather not have to clean up my ship” she admitted. While there was definitely a complaint there, Veta didn’t seem to have a real problem with the task but it was hard to tell with her protective walls up. Either way, she nodded and turned to head back to her ship, being careful to avoid anya’s mess. Veta paused before pointing in a direction, “if you want it, there’s a nice waterfall about ten minutes that way” she added, “have fun” she finished as she ducked into her ship. Marie blushed with surprise as she watched the hunters ship rise and take off with a burst of speed, her ship skimming the very tops of the trees as she soared into the sky. 

Now they were alone, Marie looked to Iskra with a sigh, “can I have a copy of today’s data?” She asked gently before looking back to the titan, “how’s her condition?”.

Iskra nodded before scanning the titan thoughtfully, updating her data. “Well, she was definitely air sick before but her stomach has settled now. Prolonged transmat isn’t quite healthy, there was a moment of difficulty when she landed where her heart struggled to return to a normal pace. If she was more damaged, I fear that she might not be able to recover but for the most part, she was fine other than intense anxiety that I was talking her through”. The ghost sighed as she looked to the warlock, “Veta and I did learn something though, she isn’t completely blind like we thought, she can see light in a similar manner to how she can sense it”. 

Marie listened with mixed emotions, moving from concern to curiousity. “She can see? To what extent?” She asked with excitement. 

Iskra gave the equivalent to a shrug before looking thoughtful and nudging the titan’s cheek, “hey Anya, look at me for a second” she greeted affectionately before flying back a little. The titan was a little slow but as the warlock observed, she could indeed see the anya’s gaze follow the ghost with surprising accuracy. Her eyes were misty and grey but her semi hidden pupils could be tracked as the ghost drew a slow circle to test the theory. Marie was stunned and smiled, “oh, that’s amazing, I was under the impression she couldn’t see” she observed excitedly, “but now I think about it, if she can see light, I’m certain the tower would be blinding with all the light around. It’s only natural that people would hide in that much light” she chuckled. 

Anya seemed to get bored after a moment, resting her head against the warlocks shoulder with a sigh and Marie chuckled, petting her head gently, “we came all this way and all you want to do is cuddle” she teased lightly, “how about I set up our picnic before we get too comfy” she mused. At the suggestion, the titan was indecisive but nodded, though she was reluctant to let go despite agreeing. “You stay right here for a minute and we can go for a little walk” Marie continued as she pulled herself to her feel, she already had a few little marks on her armour but she ignored them to head back to her ship. 

Anya watched the warlock leave with a pout that changed to concern as her golden figure of light was blocked from her vision. It was the first time she’d been by herself like this with the ability to ‘see’ so it was odd as she observed the misty blackness around her. She could see vague shapes but she had very little ability to understand what she was looking at despite this and it showed as she blindly felt for the tree behind her. She shifted to her knees, helping herself up stiffly before looking around with confusion, only seeing the small light of her ghost in the darkness. 

Iskra floated over to nuzzle her supportively, “hey, Marie will be right back, we don’t want you getting lost so stay right here” she suggested gently. Anya considered the words and caught the ghost, holding her to her chest plate before looking around again, She was glad to see the golden appearance of Marie appear from the darkness again. The titan patted the tree with some reluctance, as if deciding something before directing herself towards Marie with some determination, stepping away from her support carefully. She clearly didn’t enjoy being in the centre of nothing, instantly looking as if she half regretted leaving her safety as she could no longer find the tree. It pushed her instead to start walking carefully towards Marie who was still fussing around over near what was her ship. 

She managed to get almost half way before Anya stepped into a little bit of a pot hole and it was enough to startle her off balance, causing her to trip up as she instinctively try to save herself. It was useless of course with her vision, leaving her sprawled on the ground with a whimper. Luckily, the first thing she did was pull the ghost to her chest so she wouldn’t get hurt in the fall so Iskra was fine but Anya had now fallen twice in heavy armour leaving her somewhat tender. It wasn’t hard to miss the heavy thunk of the armour so Marie wasn’t too far away, almost running back to kneel down beside Anya with concern. 

Marie didn’t hesitate to help roll the titan onto her back, helping sit her up in her lap before fussing over Anya in a very motherly fashion. “Are you ok my sweet?” She asked gently. Anya was shaken of course but relaxed once she was again being looked after by the warlock. fortunately, Marie had managed to finish up with her ship, retrieving the picnic basket and everything else she wanted. once Anya was feeling better, Marie helped the titan up and this time with guidance from the warlock, they started walking towards the place Veta had mentioned. 


	11. A Picnic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> freedom is sweet with a bitter aftertase.

Despite the rather short walk to their destination, Anya’s morning was showing as she was starting to look very tired as they reached the waterfall Veta mentioned. Marie like usual was never sure what to expect when Veta gave advice, but she was blown away when they stepped out of the tree line. The waterfall wasn’t the grandest in the world and was probably just a smaller stream but the way the water rolled over the edge of the cliff, caressing the stones in a somewhat gentle touch. it was calming as the small natural damn rippled lightly beneath it. With all the water around, it was amazingly green despite the often cooler temperature which left the landscape looking bare and flowers sprouted among long grass. 

Anya of course couldn’t see it, but she looked around curiously at the sound of the water and Marie gently led her to a nice spot before setting her basket down and taking the titan’s hands gently. “Ok my sweet, can you wait just a minute while I set up our little picnic?” She asked with a smile. Anya looked to her hands before bringing her gaze back up and nodded, allowing the warlock to busy herself with setting up the perfect picnic.

Despite knowing Anya couldn’t see it, Marie was a little flustered as she wanted their picnic to be perfect. It was her first time out, so she wanted it to be wonderful, from the perfect placement of the basket to making sure there were no wrinkles in the blanket. When Marie was satisfied, she helped Anya to sit down before pulling out a cloth to clean her face affectionately before noticing a bit of mess on her armour too. That wouldn’t do of course so she cleaned that too, finally settling down with a sigh. She was nervous despite living with her alone so long, other than the ghosts, it felt different with just the two of them out here, but she couldn’t explain why.

With Anya’s newly discovered sight, the titan really didn’t have anywhere else to look so she watched the warlock with content. Her gaze still felt as if she was staring with an edge of creepy, but she couldn’t help her appearance and Marie paid it no mind though it did make her flustered, Anya seemed more interested in her than usual. Marie wasn’t sure but it almost looked like Anya was looking her over occasionally as her gaze would shift curiously but never leave her. 

Marie started with offering the titan her usual breakfast, a bottle of soup. As always, it wasn’t the most graceful, but it was easier, and Anya happily took it to eat or drink her breakfast. When she was finished, she didn’t have a problem finding the warlocks hands like she usually did, and Marie smiled. “Good girl, was that nice?” She mused, putting away the mostly empty bottle. 

Anya nodded before offering a hand questioningly and Marie didn’t mind giving her own. “I usually make either chicken soup or beef, but I found a few vegetable soups that I thought I’d try. This is tomato and bunch of other things” Marie admitted, “I’m still learning what you like so tell me if you don’t like it ok?”. 

Anya tilted her head thoughtfully before bringing the warlocks hand to her cheek affectionately. Marie blushed with a smile, the titan was cute despite her armour, in fact, it almost helped her figure considering. She couldn’t help her gaze shifting to admire both the beauty of the armour and how if flattered her. “So, you requested this armour specifically” she spoke with a blush, “can sparks tell me why?” She asked, both Anya and her currently hiding ghost.

At the question, the ghost appeared looking cheerful and Anya didn’t seem to mind as she brought a spare hand to her chest plate, tracing the engraved image of the iron symbol. A tree surrounded by wolves. “I can tell you” Iskra assured, “Anya was going to join the iron, uh, order I suppose once. She never became an Iron Lady of course, she was trained though and instead of following the iron lords and ladies to their end. Anya decided to protect the city in the lords place, when they returned, she would continue her training but.” Iskra sighed, “well, they never came back. So, she gave her life to the city in their stead”.

Marie eyed Anya with surprised awe before looking sad, “did she ever regret anything? Not going?” She asked quietly. 

Iskra shook her head, “no, lady Jolder gave her a purpose, so she was always content. Perhaps there was a wish that she was allowed to go, but she understood why they told her to stay, she wasn’t trained properly yet”. Anya looked up at the mention of lady jolder, as if somewhere she remembered the name but couldn’t place it.

The warlock bit her lip, “well I suppose if she’d gone, I guess I never would have met her, so there’s that. I feel like I’ve heard of jolder?” She admitted.

Iskra smiled, “I wouldn’t be surprised, she was the backbone of the main lords and ladies” she mused, “not saying she was necessarily the strongest, though she was amazingly strong” she bragged before sighing. “Lady jolder had this way with people, she was so bright, her light, her smile, she could make the iron move or stop in their tracks. Saladin loved her I think, not that he was very open about it, but everyone admired her. Anya always wanted to be like her. A cheerleader, a pillar of strength and comfort. Safety and warmth” the ghost explained with a nostalgic sigh.

Marie smiled gently and eyed the broken titan, “did she ever make it?” She asked.

The ghost nodded without hesitation before nuzzling up to Anya’s cheek affectionately, “I think so. To me she was perfect of course but most people liked her” she chuckled. Anya was distracted by the ghost, quite happily catching her, equally as affectionate. 

The warlock considered the two with an adoring gaze, it was still amazing to see just how close they were. “So, you can tell me if I’m prying” Marie begun with a blush as she used her spare hand to pick out a container of fruit, helping herself. “What’s your favourite memory of her?” She asked gently.

Iskra gazed up to Anya before looking back to Marie, “oh that’s easy, that’s the day I met her” she admitted. “It’s cheesy I suppose but we were on mars and she was talking this strange language” she giggled, “the moment she named me, I just felt, complete, I suppose. It’s hard to explain. But changing that data to her name, it was right. We were connected”. The ghost sighed with content, “when I logged her name, it was like I remembered it, almost like I’d known her forever. She’s always been familiar in that way; it was weird because I didn’t know who she was yet”. 

Marie had never thought of asking her own ghost these questions but as the ghost answered, she found herself in curious awe, were all ghost and guardians this connected? “How about regrets?” She asked gently.

The ghost looked a little subdued at this question and took a moment before replying. “I, well. Honestly” she admitted, “the only thing I can find it in myself to regret is not being able to let her go”. Iskra sighed before rolling her eye, “that’s not to say I regret her being here today, I just sometimes wonder if she would have preferred me let her go. If she was free, maybe she would be happier you know”.

Marie frowned with confusion at that, “you’d see her fall again? To the dark I mean?” She asked. 

Iskra was quiet again before sighing, “well if I had a choice, of course not. But if that was the only end, then yes”, she admitted honestly. “She died how she lived, I couldn’t take that away from her” she sighed, “it’s a hero’s death”. 

The conversation left a lot to think about as Marie picked at the fruit she’d prepared. She wasn’t sure how long she’d spaced out for when she felt Anya pat her shoulder and Marie looked to the titan who clearly wanted her attention. “I’m sorry my sweet, what’s wrong” she mused gently. 

Anya looked thoughtful before pointing to her ear before making a talking gesture. “Voices?” Marie asked gently, “are they bothering you?”. The titan nodded lightly before scratching her ear absently and Marie carefully shifted her basket with a chuckle, “ok, so how about instead, a story?” She offered. Anya was happy with that so Marie nodded, “ok, how about we lay down then, get comfortable and I can find you a story I’m sure” she mused, starting to pack the basket up a little so it was out of the way. Marie paused on the fruit though, it was tinned fruit since it could be hard to get fresh fruit sometimes, but it gave the warlock an idea. 

“Anya my sweet, open your mouth” Marie ordered playfully as she picked up a softened slice of peach. Anya looked curious but did as she was told, some blood took the chance to escape her lips, but the warlock paid it no mind as she gently put the peach in her mouth. “Chew first, it would be awkward if you choked” she warned. The titan was a little surprised looking almost shy briefly as she closed her mouth around Marie’s fingertips, careful to make sure she didn’t drop her treat. She enjoyed it though as she took a moment to chew and swallow with a very slight flicker of pain. 

Marie smiled and went to clean her fingers before smiling, “want a few more pieces?” She offered, “I didn’t know if they would hurt your throat” she admitted. The titan gave a quiet content sigh, lighting up at the offer of more, nodding, she held out her hand this time though. Marie almost set a slice of pear in her palm before blushing and deciding against it, sticky gloves sounded awful, not to mention, Anya was adorable. The mess was nothing in comparison to seeing the titan happy. “I don’t really want to wash your gloves” Marie admitted with a blush, “so open your mouth” she mused, offering the pear.

Anya’s cheeks seemed to darken a little as she again looked shyly away but she did as she was told, returning her gaze to the warlock affectionately. She still couldn’t eat much but she definitely enjoyed the fruit Marie offered, even smiling a little by the end of it. The fruit was now slightly tainted by black blood, but it only meant she couldn’t eat anymore so she didn’t mind, packing the fruit away to shift the basket out of the way. 

“Now I promised a story” Marie mused as she cleaned her hands with a cloth and once again cleaned the titan’s face affectionately. “What would you like to hear about today?” She asked, “a story about you? Or a hero of yours” she teased lightly as she pressed a palm to her cheek.

Anya gave her another little smile, as she looked thoughtful. It was a moment before she raised a hand to press it against the warlock’s chest. “Me?” Marie asked with flustered surprise. Anya nodded and the warlock found it hard to find words for a moment, “oh, I-there’s nothing interesting about me” she assured weakly, blushing fiercely as she pulled back shyly. 

Anya didn’t seem convinced as she could see the light, pulsing with her unstable emotions. She pushed the point, gently pressing her hand to Marie’s chest again before tilting her head curiously. The warlock cleared her throat, no one but her ghost had ever been that interested in her, Iskra sometimes was bit it was few and far between. she just wasn’t nearly interesting enough compared to the forgotten deeds of Anya herself, not to mention the heroes she looked up too. Marie however had come to understand that the titan rarely gave up on an idea and this one appeared to be her new favourite idea. 

“Ok, ok” Marie finally replied with a shy giggle, “I’m not that interesting, but ok. What do you want to know? I like reading” she offered a little awkwardly.

Anya looked thoughtful; it always took her a long time to think but she finally leaned forward, gently finding her ear with her hand before whispering. “Kinderguardian?” She asked vaguely.

Marie nodded uncertainly but she didn’t know the term and looked to Iskra helplessly. “What does Kinderguardian mean?” She asked.

Iskra perked up at the question before giggling, “it’s an affectionate term for a new light. Civilian children go to a place called kindy or kindergarten. They are old words but mixed with guardian, it’s like uh”. The ghost smiled, “well, baby guardian”.

Marie looked surprised before laughing, “oh, I’ve heard of blueberries, but not that” she replied, “so she wants to know about me when I was young?” She asked.

Iskra nodded, “I would assume so” she mused, “but now she mentions it, I am kind of curious too” she teased.

Marie blushed with a laugh and caught the titan’s hand, “ok, I can tell you about my resurrection” she nodded, “I wasn’t born on a planet” she admitted. Anya looked excited almost, squeezing the warlock’s hand happily as she settled in to listen to her best capacity. 

Iskra looked confused at those words though, “what do you mean by that?” She asked.

Marie smiled, “well, I was found in a shipwreck in space. They call the wreck the black knight or something but it’s a hard wreck to find on account of it being in the rings of Saturn. I don’t know how I got there of course but technically; I was born in space” she blushed.

Iskra looked surprised and awed, “no way, I’ve heard of space guardians, but I’ve never met one that wasn’t born on a planet” she enthused.

The warlock nodded, “it’s true, I guess that makes me an alien” she teased lightly, “the very first planet I went to was Venus and that first day, I remember I was with some warlocks studying but it got fuzzy after that”.

“Alien or not, you are cool” she admitted a little dorkily. “So, you worked from day one. That’s got to be rough, even Anya didn’t actually work” she chuckled.

Marie looked thoughtful, “I didn’t mind it, I remember that much. It was oddly comforting in fact and you know, I was told that I was surprisingly good with the golden age tech there. The warlocks didn’t always understand me of course” she laughed, “French is not so popular among guardians I suppose”.

Iskra shook her head, “well frankly, I’ve heard a lot of people but no one with such a sting accent like yours. Perhaps we have known some, but they didn’t sound like you” she explained thoughtfully. 

Anya gently leaned forward to whisper again, “sweet sound. Like fruit” she spoke, a hint of play in her voice. 

Marie blushed deeply again and swept the titan away shyly, “nonsense, is messy, some people don’t understand” she admitted with a fluster. Anya seemed to find mild amusement in this reaction and shifted lay down on her back with a more tired sigh, finding and clutching the warlock’s hands as she gazed up to her. 

Marie cleared her throat to continue shyly, shooting an adoring look back to the titan, she looked cute. “Well, when I made it back to the tower, I was blown away of course. I’d only seen ruins and cracked planets, so earth was beautiful. I feared that everywhere was like Venus for a moment” she admitted. “I trained with the think tank for a little before going out to the wilds again, but I quickly learnt that I prefer staying in the tower where it’s safe. Death scares me a little, even if I could come back from it” she mused.

Iskra looked thoughtful, “but aren’t you a solar warlock?” She asked, “what is it, a sun breaker? Uh, no”. 

Marie chuckled, “I am, yes. I used to be able to bring myself back from the brink” she admitted. “A burning Phoenix as they say. It was wonderful, but I just, I never liked dying. It’s like, I suppose I worry that one day I won’t be able to come back” she sighed, “I like living too much”.

At the words, Anya looked at her with some indecision before she lightly pulled on Marie’s hand. The warlock went to look at her before Anya continued to pull her to the ground and Marie almost fell on the titan with surprise, finding herself on the ground beside her. Anya wasn’t finished though; she wrapped her arms around the warlock tightly and nuzzled her with a sigh while Marie looked red and flustered. “A-Anya, are you ok?” She stuttered weakly. 

Anya simply nodded and gave a small smile, finding her ear to whisper, “protect. Safe” she promised, squeezing her lightly.

Marie laughed weakly, “I’m supposed to be protecting you” she replied a little awkwardly, she was not prepared for this level of sweetness to come from the titan today. 

Anya shook her head decisively before giving a content sigh as her gaze returned her the warlocks face, Marie could no longer find the words now that she could clearly see the silent admiration the titan sent in her direction. “Y-you- “the warlock begun weakly before being stopped again as Anya caught her hand, pressing a kiss on the back of her palm. Marie swallowed hard as her body moved into hyper speed, she couldn’t think or talk, the titan had her silent and it felt like hours as she watched Anya hesitate before leaning into kiss her cheek lightly. 

The warlock could only let out a stressed breath as she shut down, she’d never been this close with anyone and she didn’t even have the strength to fight back. It took an enormous effort to snap herself out of it, sitting up quickly with a deep blush. “Oh, traveller help me, you are dangerous” she murmured breathlessly as she hid her face shyly. 

Anya looked a little surprised, taking an extra second to adjust to such a quick movement but after some quiet consideration, she begun to look a little upset, pulling back as a sense of shame and guilt seemed to take over. As Marie took a deep breath, looking back, she realised her mistake and quickly caught the titan’s hands, “no no no, my sweet, it was my fault, I was just surprised” she rushed as she teared up with her own guilt, “Anya, it’s ok” she assured. The titan didn’t seem convinced, trying to pull away but Marie refused to let go. “Shhh, no, it was my fault” she promised weakly, “I just... no ones ever... I, I was surprised” she stuttered. 

It took a moment as Anya studied her closely, crying silently still, more so than normal. She finally seemed to calm with a shy nod, her cheeks darkening again, and Marie laid down to cuddle her, “there we go, it’s ok my sweet” she soothed with relief, “how about we rest ok?” She offered gently. Anya was a little reluctant, but she agreed though she seemed to want to put a little more space between them than usual.

It was easy to put Anya to sleep once she’d calmed and Marie was glad. She was still exhausted from the morning’s affairs of teleports and air sickness, so the warlock was quite content to let her sleep, especially after the very near disaster that Marie herself had caused by overreacting. Once asleep, the warlock was then left to her own devices as she waited out Anya’s nap. It was a nice day despite the mountainous area giving the wind a bit of chill, although Anya didn’t seem to feel it which was wonderful. Most of the rest of the day passed without incident which was an added bonus. 

Since Anya wasn’t being all that active, her armour wasn’t all that uncomfortable apparently, Marie had held concerns that she might have problems with her armour after long periods of use. She didn’t necessarily want to take the armour from the titan, but she also didn’t want her to hurt herself, so Marie was prepared with another set of armour anyway. With the quiet of the afternoon, the warlock herself took some time to read and pass the time. 

It was sudden when Anya immediately became alert and sat up, looking around vaguely, she looked on edge. Marie flinched, accidently dropping the book she was reading on her chest with a surprised grunt, she had spaced out in her reading. Marie sat up quickly though, setting her book aside somewhat roughly to she put a hand on the titan’s shoulder lightly, “hey my sweet, what’s up?” She asked soothingly. Anya seemed to be listening intently to something and after a moment, turned to look at Marie. She pointed to her ear and then waved into the distance vaguely as trying to tell her something. 

Marie looked around with confusion, she couldn’t see, or hear anything. “You hear something?” Marie asked gently before listening further, straining her ears to hear anything that might have set the titan on edge. she heard nothing though and bit her lip uncertainly, “hope, scan the area” she requested gently.

After a moment, hope appeared carefully with confusion, “I can’t find anything” she admitted awkwardly. “If there is something there, they are either hiding their presence or, not that I doubt her but, well, not there...” she replied carefully. Anya looked a little frustrated at the two before looking thoughtful, putting a hand to her ear before staring out vaguely again, she didn’t seem convinced at all. 

Marie looked to the titan with a little concern, she didn’t want to doubt Anya but there was nothing that she could see. “Do you want to go home or something?” She offered gently. Anya shook her head and looked back to Marie warily, as if she didn’t trust something before there was the sound of a sniper shot that echoed through the area. Marie looked surprised briefly before collapsing lifelessly, barely feeling the pain before blacking out, the bullet had gone through her head. 

Anya flinched at the sound, looking around with fear before moving back to look at Marie, she seemed to be surprised to see her laying down however it didn’t take her long, she seemed to realise what happened as she teared up and looked directly at Esperer who was frozen in shocked horror. Her guardian was bleeding out onto the picnic blanket in a crumpled mess, blood staining her fiery orange hair. Anya didn’t hesitate as she grabbed the ghost protectively and held her close much to the ghosts added surprise, she could only manage a weak squeak as she found herself surrounded by the someone what gentle touch of darkness around her. 

Esperer let out another frightened squeak, looking uncomfortable as she snapped herself back to reality with difficulty, generally it was polite not to touch. It was a common decency not to touch another guardian’s ghost and Anya was extra uncomfortable not that she could help it. Anya had been extremely accurate in catching her as well which was a mild surprise in itself, she never reacted that quickly. “A-Anya, uh, what are you doing” she demanded weakly as she realised, she had to get Marie back up. Anya seemed to ignore her and stared into the distance vaguely before suddenly ducking as if she knew another bullet was coming. A loud crack followed by a heavy thud into a nearby tree broke the silence again. 

“Let me go!” Esperer urged quickly, “I need to get Marie back so she can protect you” she almost begged, her concern for both guardians winning over her discomfort. Anya was slow to consider this, focusing on something in the distance but she carefully moved her body in a manner that seemed to put her body between the shooter and fallen guardian. It was only then that Anya felt for the warlock’s hands that were only glowing dimly now and she put the ghost in Marie’s hands protectively before standing defensively. 

Esperer didn’t understand what Anya was doing until she was set in Marie’s hands, she realised she that the titan had given her an opportunity to escape safely into the warlock’s armour rather than just letting her fly alone in a dangerous situation and she also seemed to be using herself as a distraction. There was another bullet but again with unreal accuracy, Anya sidestepped a little clumsily, avoiding the bullet and her helmet appeared on her head, blinking to life. Iskra had obviously hidden quicker and was doing her best to protect the titan. 

It became ominously quiet as the shooting seemed to stop; a crack of branches finally revealed the source of said shots as a hunter with a sniper in their hands appeared on the waterfalls edge above them. Anya’s gaze turned to them almost instantly, zeroing in on the danger looking defensive. 

The hunter seemed frustrated as his weapon hung at his side, still in his hands and practically smoking. “For someone blind, you seem to have quick reflexes” a male voice called out. Anya stared back and tapped her ear as if saying he was loud, and the hunter looked almost offended. “what do you mean loud?! You guys didn’t know I was here! How the fu.... whatever, what the hell are you!” He demanded as he jumped off the cliff to land in the shallow pool, stepping out of the water. 

Anya stepped away from Marie with a quiet growl, though only Iskra could hear it. She stepped carefully as if she was blind, trying not to trip but she was also seemingly concerned with not standing on Marie’s body. She did this without taking her gaze off the hunter and she punched her palm defensively, as if warning him to back off. The hunter however put the sniper on his back to replace it with a hand cannon and a hunter’s knife, “not very talkative for someone playing with Fire” he warned angrily.

Anya shifted to a defensive stance, shaking out her hands before balling them loosely into fists as he took a quiet step making the hunter almost look wary. After a moment, he nodded, “well whatever, you have to come with me, I was going to kill you and bring your body, but this will do, follow me and I won’t kill your friends’ ghost” he warned bluntly, still annoyed but he sounded like he was hoping not to get in a fist fight with Anya.

Anya tilted her head thoughtfully before shaking her head and Iskra’s voice came over to comms urgently, “I have no idea what you’re doing but I can’t bring you back. maybe you should do as he says” she whispered. Anya only shook her head in response making the hunter look annoyed.

“I know titans are stupid, but this is ridiculous, you realise you’re going to lose this fight, I’m quicker than you” he mocked, “come on, I’m a nice guy, one more chance” he offered. “the Dredgen’s want you and I want to get paid. you could just come with me and save your friend” he finished ominously. Anya growled a little louder at the suggestion and gave a final shake if her head, rolling her shoulders and settling into a defensive stance further. She appeared a normal titan, so it was easy to mistake her for one. the hunter looked further irritated as the reaction and nodded, “fine, have it your way” he threatened and raised his hand cannon, there was no way he’d miss if he was this close. 

There was a loud bang but again with almost inhuman accuracy, Anya was able to dodge the bullet enough to avoid a life-threatening wound, instead it hit her helmet, setting a deep scratch in the metal. Iskra could barely watch and it seemed that for a moment the hunter couldn’t believe she’d dodged either and he looked furious. 

it was almost as if the titan could see his decisions as he made them but that was impossible, and she couldn’t get lucky forever. Anya backed up slightly and motioned him over before punching her palm invitingly again, calling him out. “ANYA, what are you doing! You’re in no state to fight hand to hand!” Iskra hissed with panic.

Anya was seemingly ignoring the ghost’s words, her focus solely on the hunter, but he finally bit the bullet. “You wanna fist fight? Fine, I’ll give you one” he muttered, “but I’ll warn you, I’m quicker than you” he mused as he holstered his weapon to brandish his knife cockily. 

The hunter moved into a sprint to close the gap and Anya went on the defensive, using her plates to avoid taking damage. She found it hard to dodge a lot of the hits but her blocking capability was apparently excellent out of nowhere. It was almost like watching Anya fight back when she had light until finally the hunter pulled out a smoke grenade and threw it at the titans’ feet. suddenly the titan stumbled looking blind and he used that opportunity to thrust his knife into the titan’s stomach. Anya let out a surprised groan and staggered back, tripping on the uneven ground and gasping as the knife was torn out of her roughly. 

The knife was covered with thick black blood and on seeing it the hunter dropped it with surprised disgust, “what the fuck is that?!” He spat before looking at the titan on the ground.

“Anastasiya, please. I’m begging you; you can’t fight this!” Iskra whimpered, unable to do anything but watch her guardian die. She couldn’t heal Anya let alone resurrect her if she lost this time. “just play nice, maybe it’s not too late” she begged. Anya shook her head stubbornly and looked around vaguely before finally setting her gaze back on the hunter as the smoke cleared. It was then that Anya shifted to get unsteadily back to her feet with another pained whimper. she watched as the hunter picked up the knife he had dropped in surprise. 

“What the hell are you, you look like a Kinderguardian but fight like your older” he observed with some confusion. “they said your blind, but you seem to be able see well enough, you have black blood to boot. No matter what the hell kind of monster you are, you should listen to your ghost” he warned as she spun the knife in his hand.

Anya once more shook her head, waiting for his next move with her hands up defensively. the hunter answered by moving forward to start attacking her with his knife again. Anya was clearly more sluggish now and she took a few cuts but for the most part she still managed to fight the hunter off by deflecting the hits with her armour plates, she was bound to fail though. Anya was finally knocked off balance when she unexpectedly backed into a tree allowing the hunter to get another heavy stab in her side and the titan crumbled with another painful groan. This time however the hunter leaned down to take the helmet off the titan roughly.

It was an instant reaction. as the hunter took the helmet, Anya shifted to look at him poisonously, weakly coughing up black blood, her cheeks dirty with tainted tears. Despite her vague gaze, it was easy to see the dark hatred in her eyes, her intention to hurt, if not kill him. The hunter stepped back with more disgust and a flicker of fear as the dirty looking woman. “ugh, what the fuck is wrong with you...” he muttered before he paused on noticing her dark smoky eyes. “are you actually blind?” He questioned with shock “how the...”.

Anya brought a hand to her eye before pointing to him deliberately, and there was no mistaking it, she knew exactly where he was, her eyes were following him. The hunter shivered as she clutched his knife a little tighter, “How the fuck can you see me?!” He demanded looking disturbed, “wait...”. As the hunter continued to study her, the seal that hid her darkness was broken and he could now sense the heavy darkness that radiated from her. “you are the darkness” he muttered with shock, “Is that what the dredgen want?”. 

Anya only shrugged of his words before her eyes flicked back to the warlock briefly. Esperer had used the distraction to get revived and the hunter turned quickly as he realised, he was about to be outnumbered, “shit...”. 

Anya’s gaze turned back to the hunter with brief fear before she snapped back to hatred, she was not about to let her warlock get hurt again. she clutched her fists as her body started to generate black misty smoke that resembled the same that wizards summoned. Anya never spoke because doing so hurt her, but this didn’t stop her as she opened her mouth to start speaking in a low voice, the language was unrecognisable though. It was enough that the hunter was distracted as visible fear shock through the attacking guardian. Anya however wasn’t done as she brought her hands together and much like a hunter’s smoke bomb, dark misty energy exploded around her. the hunter staggered with horrified surprise and become engulfed in the smoke. For just a moment he felt confident as he thought the smoke was meaningless, but he quickly realised the danger he was in. He begun to feel the heavy oppressive darkness weigh down on him and he found it hard to stand as his strength was being ripped away from his body painfully. 

Anya took the chance to stand, breathing hard. she approached the hunter almost effortlessly to grab his cloak as he was more worried about the oppressive smoke and she continued speaking the foreign words in a painful gravelly voice. The darkness seemed get relentlessly heavier as she spoke bringing the hunter to his knees and finally the ground as he started to have trouble breathing, begging her to let him go with cries of pain.

Marie who woke with a start looked confused at the turn of events, last she remembered was facing Anya and then a bang. she quickly snapped back to reality when saw the hunter at the titan’s mercy however and she rushed to her feet to run over. “Anya! It’s ok Anya, please don’t!” She begged weakly, “I’m here, I’m safe” she assured breathlessly, scared to get too close but not wanting to let her murder another guardian.

At the warlock’s sudden calls, Anya seemed as if she was almost broken out of a trance and she blinked and shook her head with confusion. loosening her hold on the hunter’s cloak and becoming silent once more. The darkness instantly started to disperse leaving the hunter gasping weakly. Anya went to stand as her gaze found Marie tearfully, reaching out to her as she moved to stand. She barely got to her feet however before collapsing and coughing up more black blood weakly, her wounds were clearly affecting her. Marie quickly stepped in to hold a shot gun to the hunter’s head instead, crouching down with both relief and anger. “what are you doing here?!” She demanded with a hiss.

The hunter went to get up but seeing the shotgun sighed and put up his hands, clearly defeated as he cried silently with pain and fear. “I should be asking you why you are with someone like, that” he looked to the titan judgingly before looking back to Marie. “I picked up a bounty to capture a titan and I was told she lived with you, you’re arctic are you not?” He asked. The hunter had clearly lost his will to fight, there was no lie in his words, and he was terrified on the titan just steps away from him.

Marie bit her lip with a nod, “yes, I am Arctic” she muttered, “but you said capture, you look like you’re trying to kill her” she argued, pressing the gun under his chin with an ominous click. “isn’t that against the bounty” she questioned.

The hunter shook his head slightly, “Hah” he scoffed, “I expected a guardian, it’s so much easier to capture a ghost. you kill the guardian and let them respawn at the destination” he explained quickly. “I tapped into comms and saw she had a ghost so I assumed it would be fine but That thing” she finished aggressively.

Marie looked angry as she moved her hands closer to the trigger, “It’s not” Skye replied sharply, “she lost the ability to be revived when the hive turned her into what she is, that monster is still human” she argued. “but that’s beside the point, who wanted her?” She continued.

He held his hands up defensively, “woah, some dredgen, I don’t know. it’s not my business”.

Marie looked irritated, raising an eyebrow. “I would consider that it was but...” she trailed off with a sigh, “what were they paying?”.

“A hundred k glimmer” he replied bluntly, “an easy cash grab normally, I don’t even want it anymore” he rushed.

Marie mentally cursed at the knowledge, freshens were bad news and she understood that it would be incredibly dangerous to allow Anya to fall into their hands. She wasn’t happy about it, but she finally nodded, “here’s the deal, I double it and you don’t mention this titan’s existence to anybody, got it?” She offered, “take it or you’re not leaving here” she warned.

The hunter looked to the titan with deep fear before considering the option, finally nodded “deal. Just let me go. you better do a good job of keeping this thing in check” he warned. “can I go?” He muttered, “it’s creepy”.

Anya seemed to be observing as she sat painfully crumpled up on the ground, listen quietly and she must have had enough as she straightened up a little. She gave the hunter a venomous look as he spoke, sitting up tenderly holding her wounds. clearly, she was pissed as she spoke again, despite how painful it sounded. “if you ever come near me or my carer again. I will make you suffer more than you could possibly dream. you’re lucky I left your darkness alone” she threatened before spitting black blood towards him.

The hunter looked to the titan with shock and looked even more terrified, “you can speak?! What the fuck are you, and I don’t have any darkness, what are you talking about!” He argued weakly before looking to the warlock for help. 

Anya shook her head, “awoken may be born of light, but also dark. I hear it whisper to me; it begs me to help break the balance” she hissed. “your light wouldn’t protect you...” she threatened “the darkness speaks much more often than the light” she continued ominously. 

The hunter looked to skye quickly, “ok ok, can I just get out of here, no vanguard, no anyone else. I’m done, you don’t even need to pay me, I don’t need this shit” he muttered, half begging.

Marie nodded and put her shotgun away reluctantly, shivering at Anya’s words “get out of our sight” she muttered.

The hunter didn’t waste any time to get up and take off after a long-disturbed look at the wounded titan. Marie watched him go protectively before settling down beside Anya with worry, tearing up. “are you ok my sweet?” She asked weakly, her hands gently searching for damage.

Anya watched the hunter go with hatred but softened on Marie’s attention, instantly looking exhausted as she realised, she was safe again. She looked to the warlock and gave a stiff nod before putting a hand to her throat looking pained, she was crying silently. Marie gently checked her new wounds which were still bleeding but she could already observe the thickening of the blood. It meant her body was still able to preserve itself and Anya would most likely be ok for the most part.

Marie teared up with guilt, pulling Anya into a gentle hug. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know he was there, I didn’t know anyone knew you existed” she murmured gently. “how did you know he was there?” She asked weakly.

Anya whimpered painfully as she quite happily leaned into the warlock’s affection before she motioned to her ear in response. She didn’t seem focused on answering though as she raised a hand to the warlock’s hair with guilt. It was clear she felt responsible for Marie’s death previously. 

Marie shook her head quickly and pressed a kiss to the titan’s head, “No no no, my sweet, it’s ok, it was so quick I barely felt it”. 

She assured gently. “you don’t have to be sorry, you protected me and Esperer” she added proudly, “Thank you, my sweet” she soothed, stroking the titan’s hair affectionately.

Anya looked a little happier at her reply, but it was still clear she was guilty. She must have felt ok enough to let it go a little though as she looked thoughtful among the pain she obviously felt. Marie shifted to sit, lovingly cradling the titan supportively, she felt awful. She was supposed to protect Anya, not the other way around and now she was hurt badly. Marie couldn’t help but cry, pressing a kiss on her head. 

The warlock had questions for the titan, how she knew the hunter was there was one of them, how she’d fought so well was another but most of all, she needed to know what happened when she had used her darkness before. While Anya had probably killed many before, it was another thing to kill with darkness. If she killed the ghost too, then Marie could never forgive herself because Anya didn’t deserve that kind of blood on her hands. In the light, the titan surely would never have done such a thing so Marie wanted to preserve that even if Anya herself couldn’t.

Anya no longer trusted the area they were in, so she simply observed around them with wide, teary eyes. She was on guard despite Marie being there and the fact that she held the warlock close, clutching her armour with shaky hands didn’t seem to affect how wary she was. The warlock tried to give her time to calm but it was very clear that she was not going to calm down more than she’d already done. After half an hour or so of guilty cuddles, Marie sighed and gently took the titan’s attention.

“Anya my sweet, let’s go home” she murmured, where it’s safe”. There were problems with this of course, both Anya and she were covered with black blood so they had to wash up somewhere first, not to mention getting Anya home would be challenging in itself if she refused to go with Veta. They would have to walk right through the hangar putting her in extreme danger, especially if they couldn’t wash up. 

Anya was still bleeding quite heavily from her mouth, likely to be from her tearing up her throat when she spoke like she did, but it seemed like she didn’t care about it at all among the other things that had gone wrong. The titan however looked up at the suggesting, giving a nod and Marie was grateful. “Ok, let’s call Veta” Marie replied, “she can help us”. 

Esperer didn’t hesitate to message Pyli, Veta’s reclusive and moody ghost. She answered instantly but it was the hunter who spoke with a somewhat familiar bores tone. “Mhm, home?” Veta asked bluntly.

Marie went to reply, hesitating awkwardly as she found it hard to approach the hunter’s mood, especially after the afternoon’s failure. “Y-yes, but things are complicated” she muttered weakly, “I may need help”. 

There was a brief pause and the sound of a knife being sheathed, “give me ten” she replied before the comms were cut of abruptly. 

Marie couldn’t help but feel a path of anxiety, the hunter didn’t sound angry, but she certainly didn’t sound happy. She didn’t question anything either, so she wasn’t sure what to expect but she decided to at least try and make this look better. While it was certainly true that Anya was more that fine physically, she certainly didn’t look it and was potentially mentally unstable. Marie bought a hand up to pet her head gently, “Anya my sweet, someone is going to come to us, but I promise it’s just Veta, you remember our friend?” She asked.

Anya looked uncomfortable at the suggestion but nodded vaguely, shifting to at her. “Safe?” She murmured painfully. 

“Safe, she will help” Marie promised, “you can’t attack her, trust me” she soothed. Anya certainly didn’t like the idea but rested her head with exhaustion on the warlock’s shoulder. 

Despite the somewhat surprising promise of ‘be there in ten’, Marie was surprised when it was barely ten minutes before Anya looked alert towards the trees and Veta surfaced barely a moment later, stopping at the tree line to observe the situation. Marie gave the titan a supporting squeeze and she spoke, “it’s just Veta, a friend” she soothed. The titan was reluctant but nodded so Marie eyed Veta and waved her over slowly. 

The hunter seemed to understand as she didn’t rush, holding her hands up somewhat lazily. On reaching the two, she kneeled and offered the titan her hand. “Hey Nesti, it’s just me” she greeted. It took a moment, but Anya took it carefully, looking a little relieved as she recognised the light, relaxing. With that done, Veta then turned her gaze back to Marie, “so?” She greeted stiffly.

Marie teared up, looking down with shame and guilt. “I couldn’t see him; I didn’t know, and I was sniped. I died instantly and then the next thing I know, she was almost killing him and covered in blood” she explained weakly. “I’m sorry, I didn’t- “.

She was cut off by the hunter raising a hand, “male hunter then?” She assumed, “what did he want” she asked bluntly.

“The Dredgen’s, I don’t know how but they know, and they want her. He was going to kill her so he obviously. Didn’t realise that would kill her permanently” Marie replied looking flustered. 

Veta sighed and looked to the side, clearly considering her options and Iskra popped up looking upset. “He could hear me begging her not to fight” she whimpered, “I don’t know how, but he knew. I tried, I tried so hard, but she wouldn’t listen”. The ghost sounded like she was crying, obviously quite distraught over the day’s affair. 

Veta looked the ghost before softening a little, “well I’m not surprised frankly, it is Anya” she muttered before looking thoughtful. “Let Pyli in, she might be able to trace his ghost” she ordered gently. The ghost gave a weak nod and disappeared into the hunter’s armour shyly in response. Veta then turned back to Marie, “well we both know you both can’t go to the tower like this. I’ll have Pyli send you some co-ordinates. You can clean up there and if necessary, you can camp there, and you will be safe” she offered. There was a heavier feeling behind the ‘will’ which both offered comfort and a flicker of fear, but Marie nodded. 

“Ok, what about the hunter?” She asked with uncertainty. “I know Anya scared the hell out of him but... people know” she spoke quietly, “what can I do?”.

Veta looked to the titan; no emotion clear in her before she looked back to Marie. “There will be no problems, I’ll see to that” she assured, a dark tone in her voice.

Marie shivered as she begun to realise just how far the hunter was willing to go. “Ok” she replied quietly. 

Veta nodded as Iskra reappeared and took refuge in the titan’s armour once more. Anya seemed to be content with just watching the two for now, resting for the most part between the safety of her friends. “On that note, take this” Veta started, offering what looked like a small metal pellet. “I can’t take her home, so hide this in the middle of you both when you walk through the tower” she ordered, “make sure you look normal when you get back and be late” she warned. When Marie took the puck carefully, the hunter then put her hand on the titan’s head, “you did good Nesti, you still got it” she praised lightly, “but there won’t be any more fighting today” she promised.

Anya gave her a small but proud smile at the words and Veta stood, freeing herself from the titan gently. “Head off, I’ll act as overwatch” she ordered.

Marie gave a nod, doing as she was told with care. Anya was somewhat fragile and full of pain, so Marie instead packed up the now bloodied picnic before helping the titan up. Perhaps once she wouldn’t have let her pain show quite so much but she was clearly struggling, to the point that Marie decided to practically carry her. Beta went to help but Marie refused it with determination, wanting to show that she was in fact capable of looking after Anya herself. The hunter didn’t argue as it allowed her to watch over their surroundings. 

Once Anya was packed into the warlock’s ship with their picnic, Marie stood in front of Veta with awkward guilt, tearing up. “I- I’m sorry” she whimpered. “I just wanted her to be free for a day, I never meant...” she trailed off.

Veta until now had looked emotionless, not looking angry or anything but she sighed and pulled her helmet off to look at the warlock bluntly. “You should have just stayed home” she admitted before putting a hand on the warlock’s shoulder, her gaze softening, “but where’s the fun in that. If she dies out here, she’d probably prefer it” she admitted. “I’m glad you brought her out here. She was happy wasn’t she” Veta asked.

Marie nodded, starting to cry, “she was happy, she was smiling, and she had a nap. I upset her briefly when she kissed my cheek but- I was flustered, it was fine” she blurted with a deep blush. “She was happy” she finished weakly.

Veta gave a half chuckle and nodded, “then let’s do it again” she shrugged, “that’s the point, getting her out of the prison of a tower. Looks like she caught herself a warlock to boot. Keep looking after her and I’ll keep on being both of your shadow if something goes wrong. Good never suited me anyway” she mused as she pulled away and put her helmet on. She didn’t hesitate to pull out a hand cannon and start loading it with an ominous click.

Marie bit her lip tearfully before giving the hunter a hug. “Good comes in lots of colours, maybe your colour is just grey” she sighed with a blush before looking flustered, “I, uh, we should go, but thank you” she added before turning and stepping inside the ship quickly. 

Veta looked instantly surprised and uncomfortable in the hug but turned slightly shy as she gave a stiff nod, nothing more needed to be said. 


	12. Strange Feelings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Caring for someone is one thing but perhaps marie underestimates just how she feels.

When Marie returned to her ship, Anya was looking very uncomfortable with her ghost in her bloody hands, she was anxious and looked relieved to see the warlock return to her sight, reaching out weakly. Marie had set her in the corner of the cockpit on the floor since her ship wasn’t as comfortable. She feared the seats would be more uncomfortable for her wounds so Marie promised to sit with her on the floor too. Esperer in turn was going to fly until Iskra spoke up and offered to fly in a manner that was more friendly to Anya’s sensitivities. 

Once Marie had settled beside Anya and allowed her to cuddle up safely, the ghosts together assured their safe take-off and flight. Anya looked more than uncomfortable when they took off, whimpering with a mix pain and uncertainty but she calmed after a few minutes of flying. The warlock wasn’t left with much else to do so she decided to talk to Anya in the hopes she could help the titan relax.

She gently nudged the titan’s cheek playfully to get her attention, “Anya my sweet?” She mused, “can I ask you somethings?” She asked gently. The titan quite happily turned her attention and nodded, leaning her head with a tired sigh. “I was wondering, how did you know about the hunter?” She asked with gentle curiosity, “do you remember?”.

Anya looked confused at the question before looking around warily, Marie was quick to catch her gently. “It’s safe, it’s just me and our lights, promise. I was just wandering, could you hear him?” She asked carefully, “it seemed like you could”.

After relaxing slightly, the titan considered the words quietly, finally looking up to Marie and pressing her palm and hand on her head. “Awoken” she murmured, “light and dark. Light quiets. Dark speaks” she sighed, her voice sounding as if she’d swallowed glass. Speaking seemed to bring up more blood too and Marie was quick to catch it with a cloth.

Marie was confused at the answer, sure she knew awoken were made in the space between light and dark but surely, they couldn’t be separated so simply. “You heard his dark? Voice?” She questioned. After a moment she then looked thoughtful, “you could hear Veta’s dark voice too?” She asked.

Anya nodded, “quiet voice, but voice of death” she mumbled, “murderer”.

Marie shivered, she could sense that top though, so it wasn’t a total surprise. “So, can you hear my voice?” She asked curiously.

Anya nodded and shifted to press her forehead against her neck, nuzzling her affectionately, “yes, curiosity. Always asks, thinks about dark things. Thinks about me” she replied. “You want me” she sighed tiredly.

Marie blushed deeply looking embarrassed, “what? But. Oh.” She stammered awkwardly, “but I. Do I?” She asked weakly. 

The titan nodded with a small smile, “light makes voice quiet, light is stronger” she replied before raising her head and sitting up a little with a painful whimper. “Broken Marie, wants power, could have with me” she admitted looking guilty, shifting her gaze to meet the warlocks. “Light craves, just like dark” she nodded, “I crave you, want light” she admitted. It was hurting her to speak but she felt this important it seemed. “But like you better” she sighed. 

The warlock was still embarrassed, but she was beginning to understand what Anya meant. She was right of course, light and dark were always at odds, fighting each other off while wanting the other at the same time. Light was just as hungry as dark. It made sense that she would be attracted to Anya because of her darkness and in turn, the curiosity she offered. The titan had again called her out, but she’d never thought about it like that. Marie bit her lip as she considered the words, blushing worse at the compliment again. “You are charming when you want to be” she sighed, “also terrifyingly wise”.

Anya gave a small nod, bringing a hand to the warlock’s cheek a little clumsily. She didn’t realise how messy she was, but Marie didn’t seem to mind. “Truth in dark” she murmured, “pain, loneliness in dark” she added. “You are my light” she finished, eyeing the warlock carefully. After a moment she pulled away though and looked down, “appreciate you” she sighed, almost looking defeated.

Despite the words being mixed with many emotions, Marie felt like she understood what she meant. She wasn’t quite sure though and chuckled awkwardly, “I thought you had spark’s first that” she mused.

Anya shook her head and put a hand on her chest, “Iskra is heart. Soul” she replied. “Light is reason” she murmured before looking up at the warlock. “No reason without you. Cannot protect. Only hurts, scares. Goes on for you” she admitted. 

Marie swallowed hard, she was half hoping she didn’t confirm her thoughts but now it was out there, she had to face it. Anya had likely fallen for her and after today, Marie had trouble arguing that she hadn’t done the same for Anya. The warlock teared up awkwardly, “but. I- I just care for you” she mumbled, “to do, it feels. Wrong. Like I’m taking advantage of you” she explained awkwardly.

Anya’s focus was fading as she got more tired, but she leaned into her, “use me however you want, but am yours” she murmured, pressing a kiss on the warlock’s cheek assuringly before leaning back against the wall with a painful whimper. 

Marie could only look at her with shock, a part of her was jumping with joy as if they were the words she wanted to hear but the other half still questioned the morality of it all. The titan was certainly broken, often childish but moments like this proved she was still capable of choice and she had already chosen. To say no was almost cruel but there was a part of her that knew the titan would accept that too. Marie gently cleaned her face again as she considered her choices but as she looked at the exhausted titan in front of her. Marie wanted nothing more than to see her happy, but she couldn’t deny how protective she felt. Veta had already teased them about it but surely, could she be that selfish?

It was a long minute before Marie made up her mind and she sighed with defeat. “You sell a good story” she finally mumbled, “plus, it’s not like I hide anything from you it seems” she added, leaning into press a kiss on her head affectionately. “What’s an extra chore” she teased lightly before leaning down, hesitating slightly. Anya looked a little surprised but as the warlock leaned in, she greeted her with her lips gently. 

Marie replied with just as much care, shifting her hand to the back of the titan’s head lovingly with a breathless sigh. It felt as if it was a long time coming, it felt nice, and Anya clearly enjoyed it just as much as her hands found their way to the warlocks’ hips. It felt like a long time before they finally broke apart and Anya was crying but she was clearly happy as she smiled properly looking a little shy for a moment. It didn’t last long as her cheeks obviously hurt, and Anya shifted her hand to press her cheek tenderly. It was cruel that she couldn’t smile properly but you could almost see the black veins threatening to crack in her cheeks when she smiled.

Marie blushed and smiled brightly, “you are so damn cute” she muttered with defeat, “I can’t resist you”. The warlock then caught the titan’s hands and held them close to her chest, “I was so scared for you today” she admitted, “if you had died. I don’t know what I would have done, all I want to do is look after you” she sighed. “I can’t do that if you’re not with me, I promise I’ll look after you with everything I have” Marie smiled.

Anya tilted her head with a more controlled smile this time, pulling the warlock into another hug. “My light” she sighed simply. With the air cleared, it was a more comfortable flight as both the hanging feelings had been addressed and perhaps Marie should have considered the titan more dangerous, but she could no longer see Anya as more than a woman who’d seen hell and came back. She did things without meaning too, she needed extra tlc and care, but it never overshadowed the sweetheart that she was. 

It was a pleasant flight considering, taking about a half hour to approach a mountainous area with clouds of steam bleeding up from the ground. They weren’t sure if they had to go into the mountains or not but after some communication, Iskra carefully found a safe place near the co-ordinates to land. They landed on a flat rocky surface leading to steaming pools of water in the distance and they realised that these were naturally formed hot springs. Veta had tailed them there and as Marie carefully helped Anya out of the ship, they could see Veta circling the area before heading back the way they came, she didn’t seem interested in staying now that she had made sure they got there. 

After the quiet chat in the cockpit and Anya’s dislike of flying, everyone seemed more than keen to get out of the cockpit. The titan was still injured but the rest had allowed her to at least be able to walk again, Marie though was careful to help her avoid tripping over the mild cracks and steps that she couldn’t see. Anya was curious about where they were, but she remained patient as Marie set her down near the water’s edge gently. The scent of the warm water and natural minerals was rejuvenating among the steam, helping both women clear their minds a little. the natural warmth of the area was comforting as Marie shifted to set up a temporary medical area as well as sitting food nearby for after. 

Anya was content to watch her quietly, sitting a little limply with an arm on her wounds instinctively, she still wasn’t bleeding out, but it was becoming very clear that there were certain instincts that she might never drop, one of those being her militaristic past. Once ready, Marie helped Anya take her armour off gently with a light blush. “I’m not sure if you’ve ever been to a place like this, but your shady hunter friend has spoken gold again” she teased, “do you remember what hot springs are?” She asked. 

Anya tilted her head with interest, she’d clearly retreated back into her mind, so she wasn’t as put together as she was twenty minutes ago, she acted more childish when she was too tired to focus so the warlock wasn’t likely to get much more out of her today. Marie smiled anyway, “well that’s ok if you don’t, I think you will like this place” she continued as she finished freeing Anya of her chest and arm armour. “Now, it might hurt ok?” She warned gently, “I need to see if I can fix these new holes you have” she sighed. 

For the most part, Marie had assumed that Anya only really had wounds in her stomach which was bad but apparently not so bad as it looked. She was saddened to discover the extent of the wounds she had received, most of which were hidden by the armour the titan wore. As Marie peeled back a sticky leather jacket with worn fur, her bio suit revealed deep gashes in the cloth where black stained down her body. She had two particularly deep cuts, one in her stomach and one cut into her side, both exit wounds were rough too, signs of a hunter’s knife that was supposed to do anything but leave a clean wound. There were a bunch of little cuts and scratches all over her armour plates, as well as the joints in her armour. The hunter had clearly given his best to knock Anya down. 

Despite all the damage, Marie was stunned that there wasn’t more, and it explained just why Anya didn’t have a problem with her wounds. Marie herself had almost done worse than this is her experimentation. She looked to Anya with confusion, “hey, did you fight the mean hunter?” She asked gently. 

The titan looked confused, now starting to forget the day’s events already but after a moment she nodded vaguely. Marie bit her lip before looking around, “sparks?” She questioned, the ghost appearing on call. “How well did Anya fight?” She asked curiously.

Iskra lit up with proud awe at the mention and smiled. “Oh, it was like she was walking in the light. A little clumsy, she would have practiced it out once, but it seemed like instinct almost” she enthused.

Marie looked stunned and looked to Anya with a cheeky smile, “look at you still hiding secrets from me, I wonder what’s going on with that” she mused half to herself. After a moment she shook it off and freed Anya of her jacket completely, leaving her in just her bloodied and torn bio suit. She took time to note what wounds she should see too specifically before moving to free her of her lower armour. Anya had managed to keep her wounds above her belt which was nice, it meant less to take care of, but she did see a few stress cracks on the tops of her feet which wasn’t unusual. These were the kinds of wounds that caused her to be almost completely bandaged up every day anyway, so Marie was used to those. 

Once completely stripped of the remaining suit and old bandages, Marie looked around thoughtfully before throwing everything washable into a nearby spring, to wash it out before she got too messy cleaning up Anya’s body. While Iskra was already working on repairing the armour plates, she’d fix the cloth too once Marie was done with it leaving only some mild surgery left. This was the part that the warlock wasn’t looking forward too as she settled beside Anya gently. 

“Ok my sweet, I need you to lay down for me so I can try and patch up these holes” Marie sighed, putting a gentle hand on the titan’s shoulder to help convince her. Anya instantly looked uncomfortable at the thought but nodded, reluctantly letting Marie lay her down. The warlock had left her bare for now and she didn’t mind being naked at all, it was certainly warm enough in the area, but it showed the extensive scaring that covered her body. Marie had Managed to close all her old open wounds over time so there was some rather messy scaring where they used to be with stitching to help keep her body in one piece. 

Despite the blood, it was always a bit nerve wracking to see the damage and after today’s events, Marie was a little extra shy, but she took a deep breath and begun. She started by taking a cloth of warm water to clean her wounds so she could see better, it was then that her ghost acted as a light so that she could get to work. Anya was patient, however Marie had to cut into her wounds to take out some of the messy cuts that the hunter’s knife had left. With the edges already turning chitinous, Marie had to use some of what she’d lovingly named whitening cream to soften the wounds before she could do too much in the way of fixing. 

To slow the bleeding that was caused by the whitening cream, Marie packed the wound carefully with special gauze before both stitching and burning the wound shut with careful hands. With the rate of Anya’s natural healing, she needed help so Marie had discovered that you couldn’t just stitch the wound shut because often, the wound itself wouldn’t heal naturally half the time. The other half meant that the stitches would break or tear her skin as she moved causing more problems. Burning had a different but similar affect, by itself, simple movement caused the brittle heal to snap open because it would take a long time to heal properly. It meant the stitches and burning was the best method. 

Anya cried silently, trying not to move too much as asked but it was obviously painful as she’d let out a whimper occasionally or she’d catch Marie’s hand and stop her with a shaking hand. Sometimes she just needed a moment of rest before she reluctantly let Marie continue. All up, it took about twenty minutes just to make certain that everything was looked after and the warlock stat back with a deep relieved sigh as she discarded her tools. 

“Ok my sweet, done, but try not to move too much for a few minutes ok” she warned gently as she moved to pull off her gloves, they were filthy naturally. The rest of her armour was quite messy too as she had a large patch of black all up her front, shoulders, face and hair, it was really only now that Marie had noticed how messy she was and she cringed internally. Anya gave a quiet nod in reply, her hand settled on the warlock’s thigh gently as she relaxed, still twitching slightly from the pain. 

With all the ‘messy’ work done, the warlock looked to the springs thoughtfully. Normally, you shouldn’t swim after surgery and other things, but Anya was her own infection. She had yet to get sick from anything biological, like a cold or a more human affliction. She was certainly sick at times when there was a lot of pain or she ate too much, her body would react violently in that case, but it was a different kind of sickness again. With that in mind, Marie started to consider letting her take a bath. 

Normally she’d sanitise the bath, the water and everything else at home but she obviously couldn’t do that here so after a moment, she eyed the messy titan, making up her mind. “Anya my sweet, do you want to have a bath?” She offered gently, petting her hand supportively.

Anya looked a little surprised and confused before nodding and she motioned to the warlock questioningly, patting her knee. Marie took a second, “am I going to join you?” She offered, checking if that was what she meant. Anya nodded and honestly, she looked so tired, Marie was worried that she might drown. “I can if you like” she replied gently, “would you like me too?”. She half hoped she’d say yes because Anya was hard to help if she didn’t want help. the other half of her was shy and embarrassed, it would be the first time she’s had a bath With Anya, and not just sat beside her.

The titan considered the offer quietly before nodding and she shifted to start sitting up. Marie was quick to help so she didn’t stress her new wounds unnecessarily. “There there, take it easy, if hate to have to hurt you again” Marie sighed with guilt. The titan seemed to care for barely a moment before bringing her hands to the warlock’s messy armour, gently pulling on the robes curiously. Marie blushed deeply at the move, not entirely against it but apparently Anya had become bolder. “Oh, uh, that might be a little hard for you my sweet” she replied with awkward embarrassment, catching her hands.

Anya looked almost disappointed before looking to her face as if distracted by something, the answer came when she brought her hand to the warlock’s cheek as if she saw the blush making the warlock worse. Anya seemed thoughtful and finally just gave her a small cheeky smile as if teasing her silently. “Oh, quiet you” Marie muttered with an embarrassed squeak, swallowing hard. She busied her hands and mind with starting to unwrap herself from her armour.

It was almost worse her not helping as she sat and watched with her head slightly tiled in interest, her gaze following the vague moment of her hands and Marie finally looked to the titan awkwardly. “Ok ok, you can help” she sighed with defeat, it wouldn’t be much better but at least she could focus on something else. Anya lit up a little, offering her hands happily and Marie gave her the task of finding the hidden belts holding her overcoat on while she continued unwrapping her hand wraps. She’d worn gloves over them, but they were still stained black like the rest of her outerwear.

Anya seemed to enjoy the task she was given, taking time to feel the rougher and more protective feel of the outercoat. It was designed for any weather, so it wasn’t the most pretty set, waxed lightly for rain and made of heavy armoured cloth. In searching for the clips, it meant Anya got a bit touchy as she felt for where they were hiding, somehow making the situation just as bad as before. Marie told herself just to let it go, the staring was worse. 

By the time that Anya had clumsily helped disrobe the warlock, Marie was feeling quite flustered and focused on setting her armour aside and cleaning it so it could dry while they were cleaning themselves up. Anya waited patiently, observing as usual and even if she could only see a vague shape of light, Marie felt abnormally shy despite having done much worse with her before. There was only one thing she wanted to do before helping Anya into the hot spring and she added a few handfuls of Anya’s ‘bath salt’.

once she had set everything she needed into place beside the shore and Marie finally took Anya’s hands and carefully helped her up, being wary of her new wounds. The titan was a little unsteady with pain but with nothing more than a quiet groan, she allowed Marie to lead into the water. It was warm but not so much it burned, Anya however flinched lightly since she was naturally a little colder than she should have been. She adjusted quickly though and settled quite happily into the water, holding onto Marie tightly. The warlock led her to a safe spot that she could sit with her head above water easily, she could even lean against the rocks behind her without slipping and potentially drowning so Marie was happy. 

With the bath salts in the water, it didn’t take long to absorb into the pool and in turn, start interacting with Anya in the form of light pinching pain all over her submerged body, pulling out her darkness. Marie was quick to let her light bleed out though, overcoming the affect with a soft comforting warmth instead. Anya found the sensation of warm water and solar light fascinating in some part as she briefly played with the water curiously. It also made her appear more tired as her body could relax and she looked happy. Her gaze was also drawn to the water as it too glowed a light golden colour, the whole of the pool was soon shining and trickling through the other natural ponds, slowly spreading. Anya for once could see at least everything the water touched which was new for her. 

Marie left the titan mostly to herself for a few minutes as she adjusted and observed the mostly invisible magic of the warlock’s studies. She was watching to see if Anya would try moving, or even accidentally slip and fall into the water but Anya was more than content to rest where she was and simply allow herself to rest. Marie had yet to actually submerge Anya like this before, mostly focusing on particular parts of the body where she could, like her hands, her feet, even just her back. The warlock had been a little worried about what would happen if fully submerged but apparently, she had nothing to worry about today. In fact, as Anya continued to sit in the water, like her hands before, her skin became lighter as the darkness was held back. It took just a few minutes to see her skin go from an unhealthy grey to a more normal colour. It took about five minutes or so before Anya’s body at least took on her natural pale skin colour of slightly grey white, practically glowing in the water compared to her normal appearance. 

There was a little blood in the water from both her old wounds and some little ones that Marie hadn’t caught but Marie didn’t mind that, it was inevitable after all. It was almost strange seeing Anya as she should have been, granted with a lot of extra scars and Marie found herself blushing as she admired the quiet beauty. The light that pulsed in all awoken remained tainted under her skin, but it was lighter than normal at least. The only part that obviously couldn’t be treated the same was her head, so her face mostly remained the same with black tears and blood running from her eyes and mouth lightly. The only difference was that her natural face paint stood out more, so her skin was obviously a little lighter at least. Her hair seemed to benefit a little too but not nearly as much though it was more of a beautiful deep plum that Marie had come to like...

Marie couldn’t help but admire the titan with a deep blush, so she quickly changed the subject so that she wasn’t just gawking awkwardly, “so, how are you feeling?” She asked as she cleared her throat lightly. Anya had spaced out a little, flinching at the words but she gave a content nod before looking around thoughtfully, patting the water curiously before she returned her gaze to the warlock questioningly.

Marie smiled and moved a little closer, feeling a little shy but she didn’t want to have to talk as loud, it felt like she was breaking the mood. “I put some of your special medicine in the water” Marie explained gently, “the light is making it glow” she smiled. The titan considered this explanation quietly before looking back to Marie and carefully putting a hand on her shoulder questioningly, using her other hand to make a thumbs up sigh. 

Marie chuckled at the somewhat dorky way of asking but nodded, “I am good” She assured, “I wasn’t the one who got herself stabbed” she teased gently. Anya was momentarily confused at the jab as her hands moved to feel her wounds with a moment of remembrance. She gave a small smile as she understood the joke and waved her off with a hand casually. 

Marie was a little surprised by the sass and raised an eyebrow playfully, “oh, says the one who was upset earlier” she continued teasingly, “we’re all those crocodile tears then?”. Anya shifted her gaze away with a coy smile, clearly not admitting to anything but she shifted a little awkwardly to sit closer to Marie with interest. The warlock blushed at the approach but tried to play it cool, “well I suppose I should clean you up since that’s why we are here” she sighed. 

Anya had no complaint so after retrieving a cloth to gently help wash away the blood, Marie gently took the titan’s hand to start with her arm, brushing the cloth lightly against her skin. The titan had random nerve pain sometimes even if she was healthy, so the warlock always had to be careful. The titan let out a content sigh, enjoying the attention which didn’t help Marie’s own flustered nerves. “did you always do this kind of stuff?” She asked awkwardly, trying not to lose focus. “Uh, fighting, I mean” she added, “you seem used to fighting”.

The topic threw Anya for a moment as she tried to remember and gave it some thought, nodding in reply. she held her hand up in a fist before opening it, her symbol for Iskra to make it easier to ask where she was. “Iskra...” Marie mused as the titan continued with a brief nod and continued, shaking her hand on a no motion. It took a second, but Marie looked amused, “Iskra never liked it?” She offered. Anya nodded once more before freeing her hands briefly to punch her palm with a smile before weakly flexing an arm before flinching slightly. She finished with a thumbs up and looked to the warlock expectantly. “Well, I don’t blame her, you probably scared her a lot” Marie admitted, “you had me worried” she added a little shyly, “but you look like you had fun fighting like that once. Was it really that good?” She questioned.

Anya nodded a little vaguely, as if she knew the answer was yes but couldn’t remember all the reasons why. Marie shifted to catch the cloth between her hands awkwardly, “physical fighting has always scared me. I don’t really like pain” she sighed with embarrassment. “I kinda admire titan’s for how they can take a hit like they do. Especially you” she added. The titan considered the words before she waved the warlock off again, bringing her hands together before making a snapping motion. 

Marie bit her lip, “broken or not, you are still amazing. My sweet broken titan” she sighed proudly. She took a moment to admire the titan further before looking thoughtful, “I think I understand why Veta calls you bear now” she admitted gently, “it suits you, tough and stubborn, yet just as adorable and fluffy”.

The titan looked up thoughtfully, it wasn’t clear if she remembered what a bear was completely, but she had certainly recognised the nickname over their recovery period and was seemingly quite liked it too. Marie smiled at a thought as she looked back to Anya, “Russian word for bear is more cute then French name, in French, is ourse. Almost horse” she joked lightly. “Nesti is better” she mused. Anya was a little confused but mostly understood her, smiling a little in reply as she raised a hand in a so-so motion.

Marie blushed and shook herself off, shifting to keep brushing Anya gently with her cloth. It was hard not to notice the titan’s beauty though, the white skin against the usual sickly grey was quite a contrast and it was almost angelic. Marie found herself fascinated despite the wounds and looked thoughtful. “Speaking of bears, you look like you were mauled by one” she admitted, pausing to gently trace some old scars. “you know. I have to admit, I don’t think I’ve seen someone quite as beautiful as you” she admitted with a shy sigh, “and I’m referring to our race” she added. “Awoken can come in so many colours, so many faces and armours, and maybe it’s just that I know what you’re like normally too” Marie explained awkwardly, “but, I’ve just never seen someone so pale like you, I’ve seen so many greys, and blacks, blues, pinks but you are almost white. Colourless. It’s fascinating” she smiled gently. 

Anya looked a little shy at the complement before being a hand to tap her shoulder curiously. “My colour?” Marie asked before sitting back, “oh, I am very pink” she replied awkwardly, “I’m sure I look very strange” she joked. The titan seemed to try and remember the colour, settling with quiet thought. It was easy to forget that she likely didn’t know what Marie actually looked like. 

Since Anya seemed finished for the moment, Marie continued to clean her, moving to face her properly on her knees to gently wash her face, an endless chore but one she like to do anyway. It showed just how quietly content the titan was, her guard was down almost completely as she stared to the side vaguely. “seeing you like this makes me happy” Marie sighed happily, “you seem comfortable here” she smiled.

Anya Shifted her gaze to look to the warlock looking almost nervous now that she was in front of her. She was seemingly unsure of how to reply and nodded after a moment though she seemed to have more that she wanted to say. “We can come back here whenever you want” Marie assured gently, “and the best part, you can be yourself because there’s no one here to tell you otherwise” she promised happily.

Anya looked torn before shaking her head with mixed feelings, crossing her arms a little awkwardly as if she didn’t like what she was. While the warlock could understand some of the feelings, she hated seeing the titan get upset about something she couldn’t help. “dark or not, you aren’t what you look, that much I know” Marie promised as she set her hand on Anya’s cheek affectionately. “You shouldn’t need to hide but since you must, then I will always hide with you so you aren’t alone” she mused, “we can be ourselves together”. The words seemed to make Anya stop and after a moment she looked stubborn as she teared up, pouting almost and Marie couldn’t help but giggle as she moved to wipe away her tears. “I like you, monster and all” she promised as she leaned in and pressed a kiss to her cheek. 

Anya sighed with a dark blush looking a little moody and defeated but better, she reached out to catch the warlocks hand out of habit. She wasn’t really looking though and with the warlock being so close, instead her hand pressed against Marie’s chest briefly with surprise and she pulled away quickly looking apologetic, that was certainly not her intention. Marie blushed deeply with equal surprise, Anya for the few times that the warlock had helped get her off and destress had never started anything, only returning affection when she was very sure that Marie was ok and even then, she seemed to hold back. She avoided too much touching, keeping it to hands unless the warlock was clothed normally and often seemed to fear overstepping her welcome. 

With her guilt quickly becoming clear, Marie caught her hands quickly looking flustered, “It’s ok” Skye rushed gently, “your semi-blind remember” she assured, “there’s going to be some accidents”. Anya still seemed uncertain but after some consideration, she squeezed the warlock’s hands looking slightly relieved. The warlock was equally relieved and sighed, “you are always so polite, so sweet” she smiled appreciatively.

Anya bit her lip with a shy blush and squeezed the warlock’s hands again as she held one to her cheek, pressing a light kiss on the back of her other. The warlock looked away with a flustered sigh before sighing looking awkward, “you know, your diary told me a lot about you. But it never said anything about your manners, you could charm the armour off anyone I swear” she teased lightly before swallowing hard. A while ago, Esperer had almost forced Marie to take more care when she was helping the titan out, but the warlock had never actually used what she bought despite her promise to the very motherly ghost. 

She’d tried to talk herself into it, but it somehow felt more invasive than what she was already doing, and Marie hated that. In fact, while the warlock had indeed gotten ‘flustered’ from their ‘affairs’ occasionally, Marie never allowed herself to go through with it on her end as she felt it wrong. For some reason, it was fine to assist Anya but to get herself off with the same care, it was as if she was taking advantage of the titan for her own needs and she refused to fall that low. She was supposed to be a carer after all. It was only now that she felt it right to consider offering her ‘gift’ to the titan since they were ‘going out’ for all intents and purposes.

“I, you know. I also read about things you used to like” Marie admitted awkwardly with a deep blush. “You know, Esperer, my ghost, she mothered me a while back” she muttered with embarrassment, “she told me off for, uh, being so close to you” she murmured. Marie took a moment to swallow hard before continuing, “it made me feel bad knowing that you can’t do a lot of self-care things anymore” she paused to clear her throat, “I never had a problem, uh, helping” she added, “but Esperer. She made me promise to be careful”. The warlock tried to awkwardly find the words for a moment before continuing, “well, I was thinking” she admitted, “if you like, I don’t mind if you want to, uh, explore me. since you don’t get the chance. Your so polite after all and I’ve done all the studies, it’s safe” she assured, blushing deeply as she squeezed the titan’s hands.

Anya looked taken aback by the sudden burst of awkward information, looking uncertain and torn between are you sure and I can’t do that. For a moment she found it hard to look at Marie as she was a little ashamed of herself, but Anya looked back to her in silence. There was a slight edge or something beneath the unease, a hunger in the way she tightened her hands around the warlocks. Marie gently pulled the titans hands down onto her hips gently, “it’s ok if you want to” she assured with a murmur, gently shifting to kneel lightly on her lap as not to hurt her, resting on the stone underneath them on her knees. “I remember reading how much you like awoken” Marie admitted shyly, “you mentioned how you could sense light and stuff even then. I can’t say I’ve ever experienced anything like that” she admitted before looking hopeful. “If I can give you anything that you want, then take it” she offered, “you can let your mind run wild if you like” she added “I have touched you plenty, it’s your turn to be allowed”.

Anya sat back a little, letting out a heavy breath of surprise, clearly feeling flustered at the approach, yet also hesitant. She seemed to give in a little though as she shyly let a hand wander and she closed her eyes as her hands followed the warlocks form up, hesitating once more before shyly running a hand over her breast with a light squeeze. Marie bit her lip silently as the titan took a moment to appreciate holding her more voluptuous assets, letting out a huff as her nervousness made the sensation of her hands worse, or better. The darkness seemed to make her skin tingle as if it searched her body too, it felt almost like ice despite the steamy water around them. Anya moved on more confidently now as she relaxed more, continuing to investigate Marie’s form with a new mix of curiosity and pleasure taking over.

As she returned her hands down to skyes thighs, the warlock let out a whimper causing Anya to pull away apologetically as if she’d done something wrong. Marie caught her hands gently again feeling a bit breathless, “it’s ok...” she promised, “I just haven’t been touched like this for a while, that’s all, it’s nice” she assured.

Anya hesitated again for a moment before returning to investigate her form with a careful nod, her hands moving and touching her with more care than before. The titan set her hands on the warlocks hips once more as she closed her eyes, pulling Marie closer as she straightened up, continuing to exploring her form with clear enjoyment and quiet sighs of interested pleasure. She leaned in to rest her head against Marie’s bare chest with a content sigh as her hands shifted to rest on the warlock’s ass. even now, she avoided Marie’s lower regions politely even if she explored everywhere else. The warlock gently wrapped her arms around the titan and pressed a shy kiss on her forehead “your so polite” she sighed affectionately. 

Anya gave a small smile and nodded, the titan let her go then, looking grateful but content at that seemingly as she gazed at Marie with a sigh. The warlock found herself unsure and almost disappointed, “Is that all you wanted?” She asked gently. Anya nodded and after a moment she founds the warlock’s hands and pressed a kiss on them before letting her go. It was then that the titan brought her middle finger to her lips, sucking it briefly to show her dark bloody saliva and shook her head.

The show confused Marie briefly before she understood, “oh, Are you afraid of the mess?” She asked gently, getting another nod. The warlock sighed with slight defeat, “you are the sweetest...” she mused bringing a hand to the titan’s cheek, “but. we are in light infused water, I’ll be fine” she promised. “you don’t have to hold back if you don’t want too, in fact” she blushed deeply “I kind of want you too” she admitted awkwardly. “you know me, I’ve done you before” Marie added, “I wouldn’t mind meeting you this time”.

Anya looked surprised at this, not expecting the answer and she blushed deeply looking unsure but after a moment of thought she looked up to Marie, her gaze clearly searching her and her light. She swallowed hard as she looked indecisive, it was clear that she wanted to make a move though. the water allowed Anya to move much easier, so it was almost a surprise when Anya pulled the warlock onto her lap properly, letting out a hungry breath as she continued to explore the warlocks body with her hands. 

Marie let out a pleasured breath before letting her head fall back as Elsie nuzzled her breast. Anya brought her lips to the nipple, bringing it into her mouth and teasing it with her tongue before sucking creating a wave of sensations in the warlock. A hand wandered down to her thigh before sliding between her legs and up towards her pussy this time and Marie let out a whimper, tensing up with pleasure. 

There was a sense of purpose behind ever move from Anya, a hand was pressed against the warlock’s stomach as she took great care to linger in her actions, as if testing what it did. She seemed careful to make sure she was hearing the right sounds as she explored the warlock’s body with her lips and hands. as Anya ran a finger along her pussy teasingly, Marie let out a hungry breath as the titan moved up to pause in front of her lips with a flicker of uncertainty. The warlock didn’t hesitate to kiss her with a hungry whine and now she had permission, Anya replied just as passionately despite the mess. 

Marie let out a quiet moan as Anya pushed a finger inside gently, making sure she wasn’t hurting her before starting to work her slowly as she continued to use her other hand to tease skyes body with careful touches and squeezes, she couldn’t seem to get enough of the warlock despite the care. Marie had vaguely thought that this was the worst that Anya would get as she still almost seemed to be holding back, and she understood. She was completely surprised when Anya carefully but passionately shifted to press Marie against the rock and instead took a more dominant position in front of her, continuing a hungrier attack. 

While she was certainly surprised, Marie didn’t fight letting out a pleasured gasp, thoroughly enjoying the attention as things became even more heated. Anya enjoyed dragging it out to her best ability, she seemed to know exactly what to do, much like an instinct but Marie vaguely remembered she was about 300 years old, she had probably had plenty of practice. It wasn’t long before the warlock finally whined as the titan brought her over the top, making her come breathlessly to her affections and leaving her resting against the stone with a whimper, the wait was worth it.

Anya had spent none of that time on herself, giving all of her attention to the warlock as if Marie was all she wanted. She looked pleased, breathless and a bit tired but almost proud as she continued to press affection on the warlock lovingly, cuddling against her and kissing her cheek. When Marie finally found her words, she smiled, “Thank you” Marie murmured with satisfaction, Anya nodded in reply as she planted gentle kisses down her neck and shoulder. After a moment of recovery, Marie shifted to put a hand on the titan’s cheek, stealing her gaze away. “how long have you wanted to do that?” She questioned curiously.

Anya looked thoughtful before leaning in to whisper hoarsely, “long time...” She replied, pulling away to smile lightly and hold her hands up in a love heart before setting a hand on skyes chest. The warlock was now stained with marks from the titan’s affection, black kisses and drag marks were smeared over her shoulders and face with handprints in places. It seemed like Marie didn’t even notice though as she blushed deeply in response to the titan.

With Marie still stuck, she decided to take advantage of it, pulling the titan into another loving kiss, “I love you” she sighed with content, “are you ok?” She added as she gently started checking Anya’s body in case she’d hurt herself. The titan while clearly tired from her passionate affair, had luckily not hurt herself so she shook her head, finally allowing the warlock to move as she shifted and sat beside her with a slightly stiff groan. Marie took a moment to stretch before looking to the titan affectionately, “so is it my turn to look after you then?” She teased gently, “what is it you said, fairs fair?”.

Anya looked to her with a blush, but she clearly wasn’t against the suggestion, even if she was a bit shy so Marie gently moved to her in front of her, “are you up to another round if I do all the work?” She questioned gently, “after all this effort for me, I’d hate for you to miss out” she murmured with a smile. The titan gave another small coy smile as she shifted to wrap her arms around Marie with a hungry touch. Her lack of energy evidently didn’t dampen her mood as she was more than keen even if she was a little weak.

Marie chuckled lightly as she stole a kiss before pulling back with a blush, “I mentioned that my ghost, she told me to take more care a while ago” she admitted, “I was always too, unsure, about bringing it up, but”. she paused on the word as she pulled her hand away to summon the toy Esperer had made her buy so long ago. She was convinced that it was a safer method of care for Marie, less chance of accidentally making herself sick from any health risks that Anya presented. Marie agreed, but it felt awful to consider do she’d continued to risk her health despite it all. Now seemed like a more appropriate time even if it was defeating the purpose now with how close they were.

Anya looked curiously to the warlock as she lifted the toy from the water, it glowed lightly in her hands and it wasn’t hard for the titan to recognise it. “What do you think?” Marie asked carefully. on seeing it, the titan looked mildly surprised, but she didn’t need words to reply as she lifted a hand to lead the tip of the toy into her mouth, taking it in with a sigh before pulling back, her tongue lingering on the tip seductively as she flicked her gaze up to the warlock. Marie swallowed hard, she wasn’t expecting quite that reaction and it sent shivers of anticipation up her spine. “You were filthy weren’t you” Marie murmured feeling flustered, the titan gave her an innocent smile in reply, but her secret was out.

With a very clear yes from Anya, the warlock nodded as she shifted to lift the titan onto her lap more and she prepared, pressing one end into her with a pleasured sigh. Anya raised her arms to wrap them around the warlock’s shoulders, leaning to press loving kisses against her neck, moving up to lightly bite Marie’s ear. “Fuck me stupid” she whispered hungrily. 

Marie shivered with anticipation as she pressed the titan against the rock behind them, positioning herself before taking the tip to drag it teasingly against Anya. She wasn’t very experienced with these sorts of things, so she was caught off guard by the sudden ripple affect inside her and she breathed hard. She’d bought the toy because it was highly rated, and it was an embarrassing conversation, but she wasn’t expecting this when the guy said anything about light play. Anya tightened her thighs with a pleasured whine and the warlock pressed the toy inside, closing her eyes to mutter words of French under her breath. It was the strangest sensation, different to just a normal toy, she could feel Anya and how deep she had pressed inside. She could feel everything, and the titan seemed to feel the same as a hand turned into a claw on her back. 

Once in, Marie was already breathless, enjoying the sensation of being one with the darkened titan and she didn’t hesitate to pull Anya into a hungry kiss as she let her hands follow her body with her fingers, tracing the history scarred into her body. Anya didn’t hesitate to reply, rolling her hips to send deep pulses into the warlock’s womb. Marie usually didn’t mind being the less dominant one in a relationship, it was the same with work, she didn’t consider herself much of a leader, but this was more than empowering as she slowly started working Anya with pleasured whines, pressing her against the rock with a hunger she didn’t know she had. With every move, she felt the toy reflect it back inside her and she was driven to keep going. Anya brought a hand to find the warlocks breast, squeezing it with pleasure as she deeply enjoyed the attention with pained but pleasured moans. 

Marie could feel the build-up as she pressed against Anya over and over, it begun to drive her harder as each thrust seemed to tease her, almost breaking but not quite. The titan dug her nails into the warlocks back as she let her head fall back, seizing up with a gasp before finally, she moaned Marie’s name. The warlock felt a burst of warmth explode inside of her as she felt the floodgates open and she gasped as she came to the sensations, whimpering as she pressed closer with passion. She almost went limp as her body relaxed, leaving her exhausted and she cuddled close to Anya. The titan happily cuddled back looking just as worn out but content, closing her eyes to enjoy the warlock’s light. 

It was a few minutes before Marie finally pressed a loving kiss on Anya’s forehead, “I’m sorry, I don’t know what came over me” she mumbled, she was usually so much gentler. Anya just shook her head and looked up to her, nuzzling her affectionately making her chuckle. “You are a monster” she sighed before shifting to free herself with another pleasured whine as she freed the toy breathlessly, “zut” she cursed to herself as she set Anya down gently and straightened up, freeing herself with another sigh. She cleaned the toy off before returning it to where it was and she settled beside Anya affectionately, she was tender, but she wouldn’t have it any other way.

The late afternoon had given away to early evening and while it was still nice and warm, almost too hot, the night would soon catch them out, Marie bit her lip with embarrassment on observing the time. “It seems we might have spent too long out here” she admitted with a chuckle. Anya looked up out of habit but didn’t seem to care as she leaned on the titan affectionately. “Lucky Veta said something about getting to the tower later right?” Marie joked, “but I should probably clean you up anyway” she smiled. It was no surprise to see that Anya’s face was a mess again from tears of pleasure and a mess of black smudged around her mouth, dripping from the corners as she had been very excited. Marie took a moment to find the discarded cloth, gently cleaning her off before doing the same to herself. 

While Anya could move ok in the water, leaving it was a challenge as she couldn’t support her weight currently and Marie took no complaints as she had to carry her to the shore. Marie set her on the warm stone gently and laid her down before laying beside her with a sigh. With the sky turning dark, the stars were now coming out so she looked to the titan thoughtfully. She’d completely forgotten about the ghosts in the emotion of the moment and as Anya held the warlock’s hand, Iskra popped up from the titan’s other side. “Wow, you really tired her out, well done” Iskra complimented playfully, “so I guess you guys are going out right?” She asked curiously, “or is it still just casual” she teased.

Marie sat up with a deep blush looking, “oh, sparks, I, uh” she cleared her throat awkwardly. Iskra had of course seen both of them naked many times because she often helped with the titan’s care but this time, she felt embarrassed.

Iskra was a little surprised but looked away politely, “did I interrupt anything?” She asked carefully.

It took a moment, but Marie shook her head, “no, no, you just surprised me, that’s all” she admitted awkwardly, “I uh, forgot” she muttered with a blush. “You can look” she added, “it’s not like you haven’t see. Me before” she joked weakly.

Iskra looked unsure but nodded, looking back, “oh, well that’s true, but you seemed flustered. I was half worried that you thought I might go mad at you” she joked, “I won’t but you know, Esperer preferred sending me out to check on you, she’s a bit of a prude” she smiled.

Marie nodded with a blush, “yes, she is very, uh, motherly. I, we. We are done” she assured awkwardly as she looked to Anya who had closed her eyes and relaxed on the stone. Her skin was already returning to its natural sickly grey.

Iskra nodded in agreement, “she is, but she suit you. You can be the same” she teased before looking curious, “so surely you guys are going out right?” She asked.

Marie chuckled with shy embarrassment, “oh, uh, yes, I guess you could say that” she finally sighed before looking uncertainly to the ghost. “You, uh. Don’t mind, do you?” She asked with uncertainty. 

Iskra shook her head, “no, why would I, she’s done worse to ladies she hasn’t been together with” she admitted with a chuckle, “but honestly, I’ve been waiting for it. She was a sucker for you and you kinda liked her too” she mused. “It was a matter of time” she shrugged. 

The words made Marie feel relieved despite a part of her thinking that that the ghost’s thoughts shouldn’t matter that much. “Good, I was a little worried” she admitted. 

The ghost floated over to nudge her cheek gently and looked thoughtful. “Well, I’d be lying if I wasn’t a little jealous that she doesn’t cuddle me nearly as much as she used too” Iskra admitted, “but I know she hasn’t forgotten me and she won’t. If anything, I’m glad she had latched onto someone who loves her as much, if not more than I do. It means that she will always be safe and happy regardless of if I’m there or not” she mused. “I learnt from Anya a long time ago that humans need more than talk and my titan has always been greedy” she teased. 

Marie laughed a little and gently nudged the ghost affectionately, “I think I can tell, she keeps surprising me” she admitted, “you have my promise that I’ll keep her safe and happy” she promised before sighing. “I honestly don’t know what I’d do without her now, I’d have far too much time on my hands” she joked gently.

Iskra smiled and looked to Marie with admiration. “I think you’d have to start working again? If hate to see that” she teased. 

Marie gave the ghost a playful push before looking to Anya with a sigh, “well I suppose I better start getting ready to go, otherwise we will never get home” she mused, shifting to start going over Anya’s body with care. The titan looked up to her tiredly, watching quietly with content happiness so she simply allowed Marie to check her over, moving her if needed. The new wounds were well sealed because of the light bath so Marie was quite happy with them and started bandaging her up once more, cleaning here and there where she’d bled a little. With a combination of the twos well spent day, Marie was slower than usual, so they took an hour or so before the guardians were redressed, packed up and ready. Anya ate quite happily and had no problem just sitting in her armour proudly as she watched the warlock fuss around their little camp.

Like usual, Anya bounced back quickly, and the hour allowed her to be able to walk herself back to the ship, with a little bit of support and guidance from Marie of course. She really was quite fascinating in how quickly she could recover from what should have been a bear death wound, let alone an effort that left even Marie wanting bed. It was the ‘magic’ of hive they supposed. This time, while still tender of course, Anya could sit in the co-pilot seat beside Marie rather than on the floor like before. It didn’t make a difference to what she could see, but she enjoyed being able to be there anyway. Esperer as always, was a little miffed at the turn of Marie and Anya’s relationship, but she had realised a long time ago that she could only be there for her guardian even if she did make worrying choices, at the end of the day, the ghost did like Anya so putting the risk of it all aside, she had no problems, but there was a lot of risk.

Speaking of risk, there was only one thing left to do, and that was to get home safely. The day’s events meant that Anya had to go through the hangar to go home and if they could manage that, then there would be no stopping the two from going and leaving as they wished. They just had to get through Amanda holiday and her ever watchful crew. 

They arrived in good time at the tower, Iskra guided the warlocks flying as not to make Anya too sick so on that front, the hour or so flight to get back was easy. Landing was fine because they knew all the protocol but as they were left with leaving the ship, Marie looked to Anya with worry. “Ok my sweet, this is the last mission and I need you to be perfect, ok?” She asked gently, taking the titan’s hands. The approach to the city had of course left her blind in the heavy light of the tower. They were minutes away before Anya pointed to the enormous glowing beacon that was the traveller, to her, it felt like looking at the sun and the closer they got, the more the light encompassed everything. Anya was quick to start looking nervous again as she didn’t really want to be blind anymore, but she was ok as long as she knew where either her ghost or Marie was. 

Anya’s gaze had become vague again but at the warlock’s attention, she found Marie with a little nod. After unclipping her seatbelts and helping her up, Marie gently guided her to the door, pausing before she opened the ramp. She took a moment to fuss over the titan’s armour, everything was in place and her darkness seemed to be in check and hidden. Anya looked the part and Marie gave her a comforting hug despite her fear and anxiety. “Ok, can you walk by yourself for just a little, I’ll hold your hand, but you have to stand up straight” she soothed, “you are a titan after all, and titans don’t slouch” Marie added with a deep breath.

Anya considered her words for a moment before straightening herself up, it was easy for her to wear her pride, but she was certainly worried despite a silent promise that she would do her best. It was only then that Marie opened up the ramp and gently led the titan out. luckily, it wasn’t unusual for guardians to take a few extra minutes when leaving their ships, so they didn’t look strange at all, Guardians often used the hangar to arrange their cargo, so it was easy to assume Marie had done the same. After sending her ship off to storage, they were now faced with the walk across the hangar and unfortunately, Amanda holidays shack was still lit up with the famous blonde bombshell still there tinkering despite the hour. 

Marie was hoping that she could just conveniently slip past the shipwright and not have to report but as they slowed their walk to try and a little quieter, they were pulled up by Amanda who gave them a cheeky smile “hey, look at you two lovebirds, where you guys been so late?” she teased.

Marie blushed with a sense of dread, turning to greet Amanda with a wave, stopping Anya gently. “oh, we are-it’s our day off so we thought we’d go for a picnic” she admitted awkwardly. Anya looked vaguely in Amanda’s direction as she spoke, giving a polite nod. she seemed to recognise the sound but couldn’t place who it was, but her curiosity was masked by her emotionless helmet.

Amanda stood up and wiped her hands on an orange rag stained with black as she walked over casually, smiling. “Aww, you guys seem sweet, where’d you go? I’ve seen some pretty places out there” she mused.

Marie chuckled, “oh if I told everyone, we couldn’t keep our date spot secret” she joked a little weakly, “but the hot springs were nice, that’s all I’ll say” she added. 

Amanda looked between the two with a flicker of curiosity before nodding with a shrug, “shame, I could use a trip to some hot springs” she mused, “people tell me I smell of grease and metal, between you and me, the titans don’t smell much better” she joked with a grin. Marie laughed, loosening up a little, Amanda had always been a nice positive person to talk too. “A-anyways, I betta let you guys go huh” she chuckled as she pulled a tablet out of a saddlebag on her belt. It like the woman herself was marked with grease and looked quite dirty but Amanda obviously didn’t mind as she flicked through the flight details. “Uhuh, uhuh, yep. Everything’s in check” she nodded before looking to Anya curiously, “says here you left alone. I never met a titan so quiet either” she added.

Marie felt a stab of fear as she searched for a response, “oh I met her at the wall, I caught her when she was off duty” she replied as casually as she could, “she was going to take the hawk home but decided not too”. 

Amanda searched the two thoughtfully, “how long you guys been datin?” She asked. 

The warlock blushed and cleared her throat, “today, it was our first date” Marie admitted, “I like her because she’s quiet” she added before looking to the titan who was starting to look a little worried. 

Amanda considered them before nodding, “explains why you are more nervous than colonel over there” she teased lightly before looking to her data pad, “got my friends details?” She asked. 

It was then that Iskra appeared and nodded, “right here” she offered as she floated down to the data pad, “sorry, took me a moment to find it” she apologised. 

Amanda was a little surprised to see the ghost, recognising her with a smile, “well hello there sparks, thanks hun” she mused as she read over the details, “everything’s fine then, but what are you doing out here?” She asked curiously.

The ghost smiled and nodded, “oh, teaching, my friend here is my new project currently, since I don’t have my own anymore” she replied with an edge of sadness. 

The shipwright nodded with a solemn smile, “I’m glad to see you busy, how’s Elsie treating you?” She asked.

Iskra looked to Anya with a chuckle, “well she looks great in Anya’s old armour but she’s too quiet, I could barely get her to talk today” she complained playfully. 

Amanda laughed, “Ah, what a problem, Anya was a talker” she nodded nostalgically, “always on time but oh you could lose hours talkin to her if she allowed it. Scary good at sweet talkin too, can’t tell you how many times she convinced me to look the other way with that damn ship she refused to let me fix” she complained, shaking her head.

Iskra laughed and nodded, “she didn’t like anyone tinkering with her ship” she agreed, “do you by chance still have it?” She asked curiously. 

Amanda nodded, “of course, refuse to sell the thing. Wanted to get it back to you since you managed to limp it all the way back here. I finally fixed it by the way, neither of you could stop me this time” she teased before sighing, “I’ll shoot you the command codes so you can take it out occasionally, do what you like with it” she shrugged before looking thoughtfully to her pad. “Hey, no code for Elsie here?” She asked curiously. 

Iskra shook her head, “no, can’t decide on one” she replied.

“How about captain?” Marie offered quietly.

Amanda eyed the titan considering it, “I can see it, though ut used to belong to anya once, can always depend on a warlock to use their brain” she chuckled.

Iskra looked thoughtful before looking to Anya, “I like it, put it down, i know anya won't mind. Captain should belong to a titan” she nodded playfully. 

“Got it” Amanda mused as she typed into the pad with a nod, “anyways, you guys get some sleep, have a good night” she added with a half assed wave and she turned and headed back to her little shack. 

Marie could barely believe they got away with talking to Amanda, likely because Iskra’s smoother interactions and distractions but she certainly didn’t waste time to start heading home before they were caught up by anything else. 

As they successfully left the hangar, making the final escape through Anya’s front door, Marie let out a deep breath once the door was locked safely behind them and she gave the titan a tight hug. “I am so proud of you my sweet!” She enthused, shifting to free Anya of her helmet and cuddling her. The titan didn’t hesitate to cuddle back, relaxing now the tension was gone. 

“Home?” Anya asked with a whisper. 

Marie nodded and leaned up to give her a gentle kiss, “home safe and it’s most certainly time for bed” she mused. 

The ghosts themselves looked quite happy to be home as they both appeared with tired sighs, “thank the traveller” Esperer complained to herself before looking to Iskra questioningly. “Elsie? What data did you show Amanda?” She asked.

Iskra flexed her shell and chuckled, “oh, it was just a little program Pyli made me, just in case someone asked for her details. Completely fake of course but you can’t tell the difference. It’s planted in the vanguard archives too” she mused, “I just can’t use it too often” she warned.

Marie started leading the titan upstairs carefully so she could get started on bedtime, but she certainly looked curious at the topic. “I’ve had mixed feeling about Veta” she admitted, pausing to guide Anya for a moment. “She saved us big time today, I owe her a lot” Marie sighed before looking unsure, “how long have you had, uh, Elsie?” She added.

Iskra followed looking a little coy, “well, she kinda gave it to me after a few months at the tower” she admitted, “she told me that I should keep it around just in case because it will get us out of the tower if something goes wrong”.

Esperer rolled her eye feeling slightly miffed, “hunters, I don’t know how I should feel about them”.

“Veta is fine” Marie chuckled, “today is proof if any was needed” she mused as she set Anya on her bed and started freeing her of her armour. “If it weren’t for her, we’d likely still be out there with no way to come home safely” she added, “the day would have been completely ruined if she hadn’t told me about the hot springs”.

Iskra nodded and floated curiously over to Anya, nudging her cheek affectionately, “how are about you?” She playfully, “how do you feel?”. The titan flinched slightly before shifting to give the ghost a smile and Iskra chuckled. “It’s just me” she mused gently, “you seem happier” she observed with a content sigh. “Much happier than you’ve ever been for a while at least, I just wish you could see like you can out there” Iskra murmured. 

Marie looked thoughtful, “who knows, maybe I can make something to help, I have a few things I can think about now that I know that Anya technically isn’t blind” she admitted, “I got a good look at her when she isn’t so frightened all the time too, so I suppose it was a success all around”.

Esperer nodded looking a little awkward. “I think I saw too much of both of you” she admitted with a sigh, “but I’ve had some thoughts as well” she agreed.

Marie blushed deeply, “I’m sorry” she mumbled apologetically to her ghost, “I got carried away” she admitted. 

Esperer looked a little uncomfortable but rolled her eye with a defeated sigh, “it’s fine, I am not going to say a word more. Even I know better than to stop you from choosing your own girlfriend” she admitted, “you already know my stance” she warned lightly. 

Marie nodded with a little smile, “be careful, I know my pet” she assured before blowing her a kiss, “thank you”.

Esperer nodded, “mhm, don’t mention it” she replied before eyeing the titan, “I suppose you could pick worse, she protected you after all. It just goes to show that the darkness cannot kill everything” she mused, giving the warlock a smile. 

Iskra flew over to nudge Esperer with a chuckle, “come on, they are kinda cute together” she teased, “admit it”.

The ghost seemed to be a little torn before sighing, “I suppose you’re right, beyond the creepy at least” she replied gently, softening “the trick is just not to make her angry” she teased.

Iskra nodded, “well that’s always been true” she assured, “but I do recall your peaceful warlock threatening to blow someone’s brains out too” she mocked playfully. “Only traveller knows what else she can do” she added. 

Esperer eyed the ghost tiredly, “how do you still have so much energy?” She asked with a sigh. 

“well one of us has to be obnoxious” Iskra admitted “and Anya can’t do it anymore” she teased before looking lovingly to the titan. Iskra then looked a little more serious, “Anya believed in being happy that we existed, and after today in particular, not to mention we managed to walk directly through the hangar safely? Things are wonderful” she admitted. “I’m just glad Anya can be happy despite it all, that’s all I could ever ask for” she finished, “today was proof”.

Esperer eyed the ghost thoughtfully, “You know, weaker ghosts would have given up” Esperer smiled “what keeps you going?” She questioned gently.

Iskra settled on the bed beside Anya comfortably with a sigh, “well, I guess light wise I feel alone” she begun, “but I know Anya is here, even if she isn’t with me in that sense and that’s enough” she assured gently. “she is most certainly happy and she has more than me to protect her now, so it’s only fair that I keep going as long as she does” she finished lightly, “I will die with her, of that, I’m sure”. With Anya now free of her plates and leathers, soon to be rid of her biosuit, the titan felt for the ghost blindly, picking her up with bandaged hands gently to hold her close to her chest lovingly.

Marie watched the two with a content smile, “you two are cute” she mused, “although I was worried that I might have been stealing her away from you” she admitted as she set aside the washing, she’d deal with it all tomorrow, moving to find Anya some pj’s.

Iskra sighed with a little sadness, “in a way you are I guess... but really, there isn’t much I can do for her anyway anymore. I’m just a glorified computer at this point” she muttered, looking a bit depressed before cheering up. “but at least if she has you then maybe I won’t be so useless. I can help say the things she can’t yet, not to mention, when we go out, which I definitely couldn’t do on my own. I can help you” the ghost looked hopeful then. “I can maybe even re-join the ghost network one day, I did that once, but I’ll figure it out if I get there, I’m just glad Anya is happy” she finished.

“Well, you’re actually better than me at navigation, so you can do that for me” Esperer admitted, “it gives me more time to keep Marie focused” she smiled.

Iskra laughed and nodded, “Right, right. You know, I have to say. it’s weird living with a warlock. I thought it was just a rumour that warlocks spent too much time with their heads in the clouds” she teased, floating up as Anya let her go.

Marie looked playfully offended, raising an eyebrow as she helped Anya redress. “Excuse me?”.

Iskra back up with amusement, “It’s true! Always thinking and scheming, I swear there’s a reason warlocks go evil a lot” she teased.

Esperer just laughed in reply, “every warlock I’ve met is like that in some way, so your right but it’s not that bad” she assured before looking cheeky. “you’re lucky your titan isn’t herself, they say a lot about titans” she teased in reply.

Iskra’s shell instantly twitched “Anya was never that bad” she assured sternly, “she wasn’t dumb either, did you know that she was once a tactical genius”.

“Says the one with titan flags everywhere” replied Esperer playfully, “clearly, her pride was very important”. 

While both ghosts knew that none of the words meant anything, Iskra was playful like her guardian. “Why I oughta....” she begun, flying towards Esperer defensively. The warlocks ghost dodged her with a surprised squeak, this didn’t seem to satisfy Iskra though as she took off after Esperer again. “I’ll teach you” she teased playfully. In response, the warlocks ghost took off with a quick teleport to head downstairs and Iskra wasted no time in following, beginning a relatively fast game of chase.

Marie giggled as she watched them take off and Anya smiled lightly at the chaos as the warlock helped her put on a shirt. “Well at least they get along” Marie mused as she sighed, petting Anya’s knee, “I’m going to get dressed but I’ll be right here” she promised gently. Anya offered her hand as if offering to help and the warlock blushed, “would helping make you feel better?” She asked, “why don’t, you get in bed instead, and I’ll be right with you” she assured.

The titan was disappointed but agreed with a nod, turning to blindly feel her way into bed. She managed to find the top of the bed but had trouble slipping in since she was on top of the blankets and she couldn’t see of course so she ended up looking a little defeated until Marie came over to help, slipping into bed with her. As usual, Anya didn’t hesitate to cuddle right up to the warlock, giving her a bear hug and Marie faced her affectionately. “So, is that better my scary teddy bear?” She asked playfully.

Anya nodded as she nuzzled into the warlock neck and Marie looked thoughtful, “I’ve been thinking, I’m not very good at keeping my mouth shut, so how about, I call you ma ourse?” She mused, “my bear”. 

Anya looked a little confused for a moment but nodded with a smile before shifting to whisper to her in reply, “Solnishko, my sun” she sighed. 

Marie blushed with a chuckle, “it’s perfect” she agreed gently. Russian felt like such a strange language, but it had such nice words, she’d check if Iskra could tell her some more about it later perhaps. There was a lot to learn about the titan she’d pledged herself too, but she was excited more than anything, it was a different path than she’d ever considered following once but she regretted nothing.


End file.
